RHETORIC

The course is one of the integrative courses of the Master's degree course in Italian Philology, Linguistics and Literature and aims to provide an advanced knowledge of the discipline, dedicating particular attention to the Italian context in a time span between the Middle Ages and the present day.
Together with grammar, rhetoric is the longest-lived of the sciences dealing with language and its uses; in its long history, spanning more than two millennia, this discipline has alternated between moments of discredit, in which it has been associated with the idea of empty declamation or dusty pomposity, and phases of splendour, in which it has constituted one of the pillars of the European educational system. After the crisis it underwent in the 19th century, Rhetoric experienced a new fortune in the course of the 20th century, when this discipline was identified as the progenitor of pragmatics and textual linguistics and was refounded (in fact, one speaks of 'new rhetoric') as a general theory of argumentation, capable of offering analytical tools suited to the challenges of the world of communication. In accordance with the dual nature of the discipline, which embraces a set of doctrinal propositions and communicative practices, the course offers insights into historical moments and specific theoretical aspects, accompanied by exemplifications conducted on texts (literary and non-literary) belonging to different periods, authors, genres, traditions.

At the end of the course, students will acquire:
- a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of the history and theory of rhetoric, including the most recent developments in the discipline
- a strengthening of the linguistic basis with which to interpret a text
- the ability to analyse a text from a rhetorical point of view, paying particular attention to the figural dimension, textual mechanisms and argumentative technique
- the ability to frame Dante's reflection on metaphor and allegory in the medieval exegetical tradition
- the ability to work independently on an assigned topic
- the ability to communicate in appropriate technical language the topics discussed in class.

Knowledge of the fundamentals of linguistics and linguistic and literary history, acquired through the basic linguistic and literary subjects of the three-year degree course in Literature.

Course title: Medieval allegory and Dante
The course is divided into two parts. The first part aims to offer an advanced treatment of the discipline, delving into its objects, problems, methods, and orientations, from both a theoretical and historical perspective. In the second part, which is monographic in nature and has a seminar format, a path through medieval theories of figurative language is proposed, delving in particular into Dante's reflection on allegory (that, in the Middle Ages, tended to coincide with or be confused with the metaphor and the symbol).

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Rhetoric SP, together with Analysis of Latin Texts SP, Greek Historiography SP, Roman Historiography SP, also offers an optional teaching path entitled 'Word and Power between History and Literature', through which students will be able to deal at a specialist level with a broad and multifaceted theme from different but related points of view.The course includes four common lessons and the in-depth study of a topic agreed upon with the lecturers, to be presented on a special day at the conclusion of the courses.This year the theme of the course is 'funerary rhetoric'. Those who are not interested in the integrated course can of course choose one or more courses individually.

a) M. Prandi, Retorica. Una disciplina da rifondare, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2023 OR B. Mortara Garavelli, Manuale di retorica, Milano, Bompiani
b) Handout provided by the teacher on moodle.unive.it.
c) Bibliography on part II:
- G.C. Alessio, L’allegoria nei trattati di grammatica e di retorica, in M. Picone (ed. by, Dante e le forme dell’allegoresi, Ravenna, Longo, 1987, pp. 21‐41.
- F. Bruni, Le due vie: allegoria dei poeti e allegoria dei teologi (ancora su Conv. II, i), in A. Mazzucchi (ed. by), Per beneficio e concordia di studio. Studi danteschi offerti a Enrico Malato per i suoi ottant’anni, Cittadella, Bertoncello, 2015, pp. 221‐37.
- G. Cremascoli, Allegoria e dialettica: sul travaglio dell’esegesi biblica al tempo di Dante, in G. Barblan (ed. by), Dante e la Bibbia. Atti del Convegno Internazionale promosso da “Biblia” (Firenze, 26-28 settembre 1986), Firenze, Olschki, 1988, pp. 153‐71.
- G. Folena, Premessa, in D. Goldin (ed. by) Simbolo, metafora, allegoria. Atti del IV Convegno italo-tedesco (Bressanone, 1976), Padova, Liviana, 1980.
- F. Forti, La "transumptio" nei dettatori bolognesi e in Dante, in AA.VV., Dante e Bologna nei tempi di Dante, Bologna, Commissione per i testi di lingua, 1967, pp. 127-49.
- G. Nencioni, Dante e la retorica, in AA.VV., Dante e Bologna nei tempi di Dante, Bologna, Commissione per i testi di lingua, 1967, pp. 91‐112.

An oral exam lasting (approximately) thirty minutes will test knowledge of the topics and texts examined in class and mastery of the reference bibliography.

Lectures and seminar presentations.

Italian

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