The course gives a general overview of: a) the formation of the romance languages, in the light of the historical, social and cultural background; b) the origins of the romance literary traditions (focusing on the Gallo-romance, Ibero-Romance and Italo-Romance areas); c) the methodologies of philological research for the critical editing and the interpretation of texts. The student: a) will acquire a solid understanding of the evolution of the romance languages and of the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages; b) will understand the founding role and the "long duration" of the mediaeval romance literary traditions; c) will acquire a basic expertise in the methodologies of philological research and a good expertise in the critical analysis of mediaeval and non-mediaeval texts, in their historical, cultural, linguistic, formal and intertextual aspects.
teacher profile teaching materials
In the first part of the course students will be introduced to the basics of Romance Philology, comparative linguistics and textual analysis. The main focus will be on the evolution from Latin to Romance languages, with reference to the historical and cultural context.
In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to literary texts produced especially in France between XI and XIII centuries, with reference to the cultural panorama of medieval Europe. The analysis will highlight the rhetorical and thematic features of different genres (lyric, epic and romance) and show the presence of early literary themes and motifs in modern and contemporary literature.
F. Brugnolo, R. Capelli, *Profilo delle letterature romanze medievali. Nuova edizione*, Carocci, Roma, 2011 [all editions]; pp. 1-34 (§ 1.1-1.2); 46-139 (§§; 1.5-1.8); 166-184 (§1.11); 223-261(§§ 2.1-2.4); 285-309 (§§ 3.1-2.4); 323-332 (§ 4.1); 367-382 (§§ 4.5-4.6); 407-420 (§§ 6.1-6.2).
Non-attending students, are invited to contact the professor at least 3 month prior the exam to define a specific program, which must include:
A. Vàrvaro, Linguistica romanza. Corso introduttivo. Seconda edizione, Liguori, Napoli, 2001 (the following chapters must not be studied: 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18; 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34)
One of the following:
Au. Roncaglia, *Le origini della lingua e della letteratura italiana*, Torino, UTET, 2006, pp. 1-155.
M.L. Meneghetti, *Le origini delle letterature medievali romanze*, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1997 [all editions], pp. 3-132.
Programme
The course traces the development of the Romance languages and literatures.In the first part of the course students will be introduced to the basics of Romance Philology, comparative linguistics and textual analysis. The main focus will be on the evolution from Latin to Romance languages, with reference to the historical and cultural context.
In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to literary texts produced especially in France between XI and XIII centuries, with reference to the cultural panorama of medieval Europe. The analysis will highlight the rhetorical and thematic features of different genres (lyric, epic and romance) and show the presence of early literary themes and motifs in modern and contemporary literature.
Core Documentation
Lecture notes edited by the teacher.F. Brugnolo, R. Capelli, *Profilo delle letterature romanze medievali. Nuova edizione*, Carocci, Roma, 2011 [all editions]; pp. 1-34 (§ 1.1-1.2); 46-139 (§§; 1.5-1.8); 166-184 (§1.11); 223-261(§§ 2.1-2.4); 285-309 (§§ 3.1-2.4); 323-332 (§ 4.1); 367-382 (§§ 4.5-4.6); 407-420 (§§ 6.1-6.2).
Non-attending students, are invited to contact the professor at least 3 month prior the exam to define a specific program, which must include:
A. Vàrvaro, Linguistica romanza. Corso introduttivo. Seconda edizione, Liguori, Napoli, 2001 (the following chapters must not be studied: 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18; 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34)
One of the following:
Au. Roncaglia, *Le origini della lingua e della letteratura italiana*, Torino, UTET, 2006, pp. 1-155.
M.L. Meneghetti, *Le origini delle letterature medievali romanze*, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1997 [all editions], pp. 3-132.
Type of delivery of the course
Lectures. Attending classes is highly recommended. Non-attending students, are invited to contact the professor at least 3 months prior the exam to define a specific program.Attendance
Attending the lectures is highly recommended.Type of evaluation
Oral exam. Students will have to show their understanding of the main aspects of the discipline, prove their ability to put the texts in context and correctly examine them. Students’ language skills and critical thinking will also be evaluated.