Learning objectives
The course in History of the Classical Tradition will lead students to an understanding of the essential features of the transmission of classical texts from Antiquity to the age of printing. In the first part of the course, which is theoretical in nature, we will examine the writing tools and materials used in the ancient and medieval worlds; the methods of copying Greek and Latin texts will be illustrated; the technical skills necessary to reconstruct the relationships between manuscripts of a work (direct tradition and stemmatic method) will be provided, along with the tools to investigate the survival of a text within other texts (indirect tradition, intertextuality, and the fortune of the classics); finally, the structure and specific aspects of a critical edition will be discussed. In the second part of the course, which is practical and monographic, a specific case study from Latin literature will be proposed to illustrate and consolidate the theoretical content studied in the first part of the course.
- Knowledge and Understanding: Students will acquire knowledge about the History of the Classical Tradition and its technical and methodological foundations.
- Applied Knowledge and Understanding: Students will be able to contextualize an ancient text in its literary and historical-cultural dimension, to understand and reconstruct the dynamics that underlie its propagation through space and time, and to properly use a critical edition.
- Judgment Autonomy: Students will be able to collect and interpret data to form independent judgments, both at a historical-cultural and technical-theoretical level, including cross-cutting reflections on related cultural, intercultural, scientific, and/or ethical issues; moreover, they will be able to integrate the knowledge acquired and manage its complexity independently.
- Communication Skills: Through the general structure of the course, which focuses on the History of the Classical Tradition and its technical and methodological foundations, students will develop learning abilities that will allow them to continue studying independently in the context of lifelong and continuing education; moreover, through a more aware and ‘problematic’ reading of ancient texts, they will acquire new linguistic and communication skills.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
History of the Classical Tradition (theoretical part): writing tools and materials in the ancient and medieval ages; practices of copying Greek and Latin texts; techniques for reconstructing the relationships between the manuscript witnesses of a work (direct tradition and stemmatic method); tools to investigate the survival of a text within other texts (indirect tradition, intertextuality, and the fortune of the classics); structure and specific aspects of a critical edition. Specific case study of the tradition of a classical text (practical and monographic part): the Satyricon by Petronius.
Full programme
See below, under the Bibliography section. The texts examined during the course will be continuously uploaded, lesson by lesson, to the Elly page of the course; additionally, at the end of the course, a complete list of all texts read and analyzed in class will be provided.
Bibliography
For attending students, the following is required:
1) Content of the lectures, including the reading and knowledge of the texts examined during the course (as well as the correct use of their critical apparatus), continuously uploaded, lesson by lesson, to the Elly page of the course;
2) Study of Chapters I (La critica testuale, pp. 11-33), II (L’originale non conservato, pp. 35-144), and IV (Anatomia dell’edizione critica, pp. 171-183) of P. Chiesa, Elementi di critica testuale, Bologna 2012 (second edition, any reprint), Pàtron;
3) Study of the chapter Storia e sistema nella memoria dei poeti (pp. 39-117) in G.B. Conte, Memoria dei poeti e sistema letterario. Catullo, Virgilio, Ovidio, Lucano, Palermo 2012, Sellerio. This chapter can also be read in the 1974 edition (Turin, Einaudi) of the same book, pp. 17-74.
For non-attending students, the following is required:
1) Study of the first part (Materiali e modi della trasmissione dei testi, pp. 11-44) of M. Scialuga, Introduzione allo studio della filologia classica, Alessandria 2003, Edizioni dell’Orso.
2) Study of Chapters I (La critica testuale, pp. 11-33), II (L’originale non conservato, pp. 35-144), and IV (Anatomia dell’edizione critica, pp. 171-183) of P. Chiesa, Elementi di critica testuale, Bologna 2012 (second edition, any reprint), Pàtron;
3) Study of the chapter Storia e sistema nella memoria dei poeti (pp. 39-117) in G.B. Conte, Memoria dei poeti e sistema letterario. Catullo, Virgilio, Ovidio, Lucano, Palermo 2012, Sellerio. This chapter can also be read in the 1974 edition (Turin, Einaudi) of the same book, pp. 17-74;
4) Study of the chapter La tradizione del testo (pp. 39-61) in G. Vannini, Petronii Arbitri ‘Satyricon’ 100-115. Edizione critica e commento, Berlin-Boston 2010, Walter de Gruyter;
5) Independent reading of the texts examined during the course, continuously uploaded, lesson by lesson, to the Elly page of the course. Furthermore, students will be required to use the critical apparatus of these texts correctly.
Teaching methods
The teaching method is suited to the requirements of the discipline, which includes a study of the History of the Classical Tradition and its technical and methodological foundations through lectures, accompanied by discussions of textual, interpretative, historical, and linguistic issues.
Assessment methods and criteria
The assessment will take place during the final exam, which consists of an oral examination on the different parts of the syllabus with the aim of evaluating the following:
- Knowledge of the History of the Classical Tradition, its technical and methodological foundations, as well as the case study examined in the monographic part of the course (the Satyricon by Petronius);
- The ability to culturally and historically contextualize the texts, understand the dynamics of their propagation in space and time, and use a critical edition appropriately;
- Clarity of exposition, eloquence, and appropriateness of answers.
In particular, an unsatisfactory evaluation is determined by a lack of knowledge of the minimum course content; an inability to express oneself appropriately on the subject; lack of independent preparation; failure to resolve problems related to gathering information and decoding texts, as well as an inability to form independent judgments and communicate content, analysis, and judgments in an argued, competent, and convincing way. A passing grade (18-23/30) is determined by an acceptable level of performance on the above evaluation indicators; average scores (24-27/30) are given to those demonstrating a more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) level of performance; the highest scores (28/30 to 30/30 with honors) are awarded based on the demonstration of excellent to outstanding performance on the evaluation indicators.
Other information
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