MEDIEVAL AND HUMANISTIC PHILOLOGY

The course is part of the educational activities of the course of study of Italian Philology, Linguistics and Literature - Medieval-Renaissance, and aims to provide students with essential elements of the intellectual history of the late Middle Ages and philological technique to critically read and prepare editions of Middle Latin and vernacular texts in relation to Latin texts.
The key objectives of the course are: (1) to provide students with in-depth knowledge of specific case studies in medieval and humanistic literature; (2) to equip students with valid methodological tools to approach the discipline; (3) to promote the ability to independently rework knowledge of the texts studied during the course and to master the discipline's terminology.

By the end of the course, the student will have acquired the following knowledge: (1) knowledge of the relationship between the texts analysed in class and travel literature (13th-15th centuries); (2) knowledge of the manuscript traditions of the two texts; (3) knowledge of the different possibilities of constructing a “travel text.”
As for skills, the student will refine (1) the ability to critically process the bibliography related to the topics covered in the course; (2) the ability to work on case studies through the application of the methods elaborated in the critical literature; (3) the ability to deal with the transcription and edition of a medieval manuscript.
In this way, the following skills, consistent with the course of study, will be developed: (1) competence in the use of philological instrumentation; (2) competence in the analysis, interpretation and comprehension of the texts presented in class; (3) autonomous reflection and re-elaboration of the topics dealt with.

Basic knowledge of medieval history, text criticism, Latin, medieval paleography and codicology. It is preferable, but not mandatory, to have rudiments of Old French.

From Venice to Asia in the Middle Ages: Marco Polo and Niccolò de’ Conti
The course aims to present two highly influential texts that significantly shaped the Western imagination of Asia at the end of the Middle Ages and in the early modern period: the "Devisement dou monde" (or "Il Milione") by Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa, and the account of Niccolò de’ Conti, included by Poggio Bracciolini in the fourth book of "De varietate fortunae". After placing the two works within their respective historical and literary contexts and addressing the issues related to their genesis, their manuscript traditions, their structure, and the rhetorical strategies employed to verify the truth of their content, selected passages will be analyzed and commented on.
Students will also be asked to realize the transcription of some papers of a manuscript, the digitalisation of which will be made available during the course. More specifically, the exercise will consist of making diplomatic edition, interpretive transcription and a short commentary of the transcribed text. Full details will be provided during the course.

Final texts and bibliography will be provided during the lectures.
(1) Lecture notes and materials available on the Moodle platform;
(2) "Marco Polo. Storia e mito di un viaggio e di un libro", a cura di S. Simion e E. Burgio, Roma, Carocci, 2024 (chap. 1-3, 6, 8, 13).
(3) Poggio Bracciolini, "De varietate fortunae". Edizione critica con introduzione e commento a cura di Outi Merisalo, Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1993.

The texts of the reference editions of "Devisement dou monde", all available in open access, will be indicated and provided in class.
Any hard-to-find text will be made available on moodle.

For all students, attending and non-attending, the examination consists of an oral test lasting approximately 40 minutes. The oral test will be divided into two parts: in the first part, the transcription completed by the student will be discussed. In the second part, knowledge of the topics and texts covered in the course and the bibliography given in the syllabus will be tested.

oral

The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, will result from the average of the written exercise and the oral test.
More in detail, the assignment of the final score will be made as follows:
(1) 18-22/30 = the student demonstrates: (a) just sufficient knowledge of the examination program; (b) limited (but overall sufficient) ability to analyze texts; (c) limited and just sufficient skills of expression and argumentation;
(2) 22-26/30 = the student demonstrates (a) a fair, but partial or disorganized knowledge of the examination program; (b) a fair ability to analyze texts, with uncertainties in exposition and argumentation; (c) a fair command of philological language, with some imprecision in the use of the technical vocabulary; (d) more than sufficient ability in expression and argumentation;
(3) 27-30/30 = the student demonstrates (a) good or excellent knowledge of the examination program; (b) good or excellent ability to analyze texts; (c) good or excellent mastery of philological language; good or excellent ability of expression, argumentation and personal reworking;
(4) 30/30 cum laude = the student combines (a) an excellent knowledge of the examination syllabus and (b) an excellent ability to analyze texts and (d) an excellent ability of expression, argumentation, and personal reworking.

Lectures, open to student participation, devoted to the topics indicated in the syllabus.

The materials covered and discussed in class, as well as any support tools, are provided during the course and made available on the Moodle platform. These materials, organized by lesson, are an integral part of the exam syllabus.
Those who, for various reasons, are unable to attend the course and feel it is appropriate/necessary to supplement their preparation with additional materials beyond those available on Moodle, are kindly requested to contact the teacher to evaluate the specific situation and possibly agree on targeted readings.
Students who are entitled to do so will have access to the recordings of the lessons.