The theoretical principles and the first technical rudiments of critical edition of a classical theatrical text should be acquired, with special emphasis on Plautin and Sophoclean philology. The student should come to know the history of philological method (especially Lachmann's method), should orient himself in reading a critical apparatus, and should acquire the techniques and skills necessary to set up the critical edition of a literary text.

The basic principles of Lachmann's method are important for the ecdotics of classical texts as well as modern and contemporary ones. Knowledge of their application to classical texts therefore provides indispensable tools for critical work on any text. 

The theatrical text was chosen as the reference text because its tradition from antiquity to the present day presents exemplary characteristics: it is possible to work on it in detail, then extrapolate the general tools that the student will benefit from in his work on any type of written text.

The critical work on the text of Plautus -accompanied by that on Sophocles- will show the importance of detailed analysis and linguistic, stylistic and orthographic reflection in order to arrive at the establishment of a reliable text; it will also serve to account for the complexity and instability of any literary text entrusted to the practice of writing and intended for publication.

From the acquisition of the techniques of philological work the student will also be able to derive an initial proficiency in those editorial practices that are the basis of serious work in the development and editing of texts for the contemporary cultural industry.

1. The first phase of the course, which will take place in the first semester, will trace the history of the establishment of the Lachmann method, from which most of the ecdotic methodologies applied to Greek and Latin, medieval, modern and contemporary texts have developed. Topics will be covered in this order:

1.1 

Introduction to the Course

The role of the discipline in the education of a Humanities student: why Classical Philology is crucial for both those who deal with ancient and modern literatures. Definition of the skills provided also from a professional point of view. 

Introduction to the Course. Specificity of the subject. Professional usefulness for those who deal with ancient texts as well as modern and contemporary texts. Scanning of the program and distribution of topics over the two semesters.

Importance of writing and writing technologies for the creation and transmission of texts.

1.2 

Emendatio ope codicum

The work of 'restoration' of texts, based on the objectivity of the codex as a historical document. The importance of Poliziano lies in his understanding that first one must use objective documents, external evidence critically, keeping as far away as possible from personal judgment, and then, in case one does not have a satisfactory solution, resort to one's own personal ideas and expertise. 

What is the best criterion for saying that a witness is good and credible?

How far are we from arriving at the concept of genealogy of codes and thus historical reconstruction of their origin and dissemination?

1.3 

Evaluation of the manuscript tradition

From Poliziano to Bentley, via Erasmo, Pier Vettori and Scaligero.

Poliziano and the second centuria of the Miscellanea.

The evaluation of the codex's history and interest in the antiquity of the artifact.

Poliziano's philology and reliance on the use of manuscript documentation for textual criticism. The Vettori paradox.

An example of Polizian textual criticism.

Joseph Justus Scaliger and the consideration for codices versus the Vulgate. French philology between the 1500s and 1600s. Development of the concept of archetype. Nicolaas Heinsius

Bentley's work on the manuscript tradition; intertwining with the work of brilliant but excessive conjecturist. New Testament philology, between resistance and innovation, theological and ecdotal problems. Jean Le Clerc and reconsideration of the value of corruptions and their interpretation.

Revival of Le Clerc, contrast between some innovative ideas and substantial mediocrity as a philologist. The unequal relationship between Le Clerc and Bentley. The problem of the origin of corruptions.

Bentley and New Testament philology: programmatic work; awareness of being able to achieve only a partial level of approximation to the original text, i.e., the mss. from the time of the Council of Nicaea.

Exercises on critique of ancient orthographies. Bengel and Wettstein.

Wettstein and insights on lectio difficilior and recentiores non deteriores. The relationship with Bengel. Horatian examples.

The debt of classical philology to New Testament philology. Wolf and the Prolegomena ad Homerum: absolute reliance on codices and systematic puntaulization of ideas gradually settled in the previous century.

1.4 

From Wolf to Lachmann

More on the importance of Wolf's Prolegomena ad Homerum on the use of manuscripts and the value of compiling a family tree. The problem of contamination.

Wolf's failure to edit Homer, but his great contribution to text history in antiquity. Hermann and Bekker. Lachmann's beginnings.

The first glimpses of Lachmann's method. The editions of Catullus and Tibullus.

Pros and cons of Lachmann's early methodological approaches. Lachmann and Germanic philology.

Philology contemporary to Lachmann: Hermann and Zumpt.

Contemporary philology in Lachmann: Ritschl and Bernays

Lachmann's relationship with philologists contemporary with him and the edition of Lucretius.

The main points of Lachmann's method and his real innovations compared to earlier philology.

1.5 

General principles of philological method.

The figure of Paul Maas.

2.1 In the second phase of the course, which will be held in the second semester, we will enter the specifics of the application of philological techniques, using as a working text that of Plautus' comedies, but also of other ancient playwrights. The work will be structured in the following stages:

(a) history and problems of the manuscript tradition of Plautus' text.

(b) philological work on Plautus' text from humanism to the present.

(c) the indirect tradition and the text in fragments

(d) how to make a critical edition of an ancient theatrical text (with examples from Asinaria, Casina, Miles gloriosus, Pseudolus and other ancient theatrical texts: special attention will be paid to the text of the Menaechms)

(e) editorial practice and the preparation of the critical apparatus.

2.2 Classical Literature students will attend a seminar given by Dr. Sandy Cardinali on the critical edition of Sophocles' Electra. The seminar will include an introductory part in which, through the reading of a series of Greek and Latin sources, the most relevant aspects of the transmission of theatrical texts in antiquity will be addressed. Ample space will be devoted to the study of the tradition of Sophocles' Electra; from the tragedy, vv. 1-250 will be read and analyzed, with special attention to critical and exegetical problems.

All ancient texts will be read in the original language.

knowledge and ability to understand: Students should get to know the history of classical philology, its relationship with modern philology, as well as the techniques of critical edition of an ancient text, applicable to any type of text. Based on the study of the genesis of Lachmann's method, from which the main modern methodologies of critical approach to classical texts derive, students should be able to understand the characteristics of the various phases in which the ecdotic work is articulated today, being able to easily orient themselves in the field of the relative technical terminology.

applied knowledge and understanding: The student will have to use historical and methodological knowledge to easily recognize the different types of ecdotical work applied by scholars in critical editions of ancient authors, but also of modern authors. They will also have to acquire the ability to read without difficulty a critical apparatus of a Greek and/or Latin text, distinguishing the various types (positive, negative, mixed apparatus). The student must then be able to analyze and translate a Greek and/or Latin text, highlighting the main problems of textual, metrical and dramaturgical character. Finally, the student must have the ability to frame the history of a text over the centuries, both in terms of its critical examination and its reception.

Autonomy of judgment: The student must acquire the ability to judge the scientific reliability of a literary text in its editorial presentation, distinguishing popular editions from critical editions. They will also have to be able to evaluate the characteristics of language, style and socio-cultural functionality of a literary text, finalizing them to a conscious choice among the various ecdotical possibilities, in view of a professional use (in didactic, critical and editorial fields) of the text itself.

communication skills: The student will have to be able to read and use a critical edition, both of ancient authors and of modern and contemporary authors. They will have to orient themselves in the reading of philological and critical-literary essays. Finally, the student will have to be able to produce written synthesis texts on the main topics of the course. Moreover, the tools acquired by the student at the end of the course should allow him to face with the necessary technical skills the editing and the critical elaboration of a text, with that great attention to microtextual elements which are today essential for any kind of profession dealing with written texts. The assessment test then aims to verify whether the student knows how to correctly use the tools acquired in terms of adequate communication of the ideas developed and, above all, to consciously exercise their critical judgment on the proposed texts. In this way, the student is guided to autonomously elaborate a critical apparatus that brings into play his ability to observe the text with the guidance of a conscious and correct methodical binary.

ability to learn: The student should be able to file a scientific text by extracting the parts useful for study and research. They should be able to use the tools of analysis and interpretation of Latin and Greek texts: lexicons, vocabularies, grammars, concordances. They should be able to find useful texts to clarify and deepen the themes of work. Finally, the student should be able to propose questions and arguments for critical discussion related to the topics of the course, in order to trace a personal development of learning. The student will also have to acquire the ability to carry out bibliographic research aimed at the topics of the course both in the library and on the web, with particular attention to bibliographic search engines such as Google Scholar. Finally, the student will have to know how to use useful tools for ecdotic work, in particular manuscript reproductions and virtual databases dedicated to texts of classical antiquity. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Seminars and tutorials held by Dr. Sandy Cardinali.

Teaching

Frontal lessons, seminars and tutorials.

Attendance

To be counted as “attending”, students must participate in at least 50% of teaching hours and/or, for example, have completed any classwork, exercises or other such activities organised by the lecturer during the course.

KNOWLEDGE OF GREEK AND ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF LATIN - OTHER PREREQUISITES

Classical Literature students should have a good knowledge of Greek, rudiments of prosody and Greek and Latin metrics.

Students of Classical Literature and students of Modern Literature will have to know the general outlines of the history of Greek and Latin theater and have an adequate knowledge of Latin.

Attendance to the lessons is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended, considering the specificity of the subject and its technical and applicative implications, treated mainly in seminars and exercises. Attending and non-attending students will be able to take the exam with this program within the extraordinary session of the a.y. 2021/2022; if they intend to take the exam afterwards, they will have to follow the program of the course established for the a.y. in which they will take the exam. 

Course books

For part 1. of the course (compulsory readings)-

-T. Braccini, La scienza dei testi antichi. Introduzione alla filologia classica, Firenze, Le Monnier 2017[full reading and study].

-Storia della filologia classica, a cura di D. Lanza e G. Ugolini, Roma, Carocci 2016 [pp. 221-314 and pp. 337-392 should be read and studied]

For part 2. of the course 

a) Critical Editions:

Main reference text:

-Titus Maccius Plautus, Menaechmi, ed. G. Bandini, Sarsinae et Urbini MMXX 

b) Further Reading

for students of Modern Literature: 

-C. Questa, Per un'edizione di Plauto, in Giornate Filologiche "Francesco Della Corte", D.AR.FI.CL.ET, Genova 2001, pp.61-85

-G. Pasquali, Storia della tradizione e critica del testo, Milan 1974, pp. 331-393

for students of Classical Literature: 
Critical reference editions
- Sophoclis Fabulae, rec. br. adn. crit. instr. H. Lloyd-Jones - N.G. Wilson,
Oxonii 1990
- Sophocles. Electra, ed. with. intr. and comm. by P.J. Finglass, Cambridge
2007
- Sophocles. Electra, introduction and commentary by Francis Dunn, critical text by
edited by Liana Lomiento, translation by Bruno Gentili, Milan 2019
Required further reading
- L. Lomiento, 'From Sparta to Alexandria. The transmission of texts in ancient
Ancient Greece', in La civiltà dei Greci. Forms, places, contexts, edited by M.
Vetta, Rome 2001, pp. 297-355
- Nota al testo, edited by L. Lomiento, in Sophocles. Electra, introduction and
commentary by Francis Dunn, critical text by Liana Lomiento,
translation by Bruno Gentili, Milan 2019, pp. LXV-CXVII
- F. Condello, Elettra: storia di un mito, Roma 2010
Further bibliography will be indicated in the course of the lectures.

Assessment

The examination will take place in three stages:

1) interim written test after the first semester, on one of the dates set by the University, for attending and non-attending students, with three predetermined-space open questions, focusing on the history of philological method (Part 1 of the syllabus).  The test will last 2 hours and will be conducted in presence. This first stage of assessment is intended to test students' knowledge of the evolution of philological method through the centuries, which is useful in understanding how they arrived at the editorial techniques still in use today to set up scholarly editions of not only ancient, but also modern and contemporary texts. The written test will also test the student's ability to produce a clear and properly articulated synthesis text. The test will enable the student to present himself or herself for the oral test, in the course of which he or she may be asked follow-up and verification questions on this part of the program as well. A student who cannot take the written test will take a test on this part of the program during the oral test (see point 2b below)

2a) student-led seminars on specific topics, related to Plautus' text criticism, assigned by the lecturer during the second semester, to be held in the period corresponding to the final part of the lectures (Part 2 of the program). This test is intended to test the students' ability to organize the working materials and knowledge acquired to prepare a lecture, as well as their ability to clearly expound the assigned topics to the class in the canonical time of 45 minutes of an academic lecture. Students who have not taken the seminar will be tested in depth on the scheduled critical edition during the 2b test.

2b) oral test that will focus on the tradition of Plautus' text and, for Classical Humanities students, also on that of Sophocles' text, reading and interpretation of a critical apparatus, and techniques of setting up a critical edition (Part 2 of the program). Students who have passed the Latin language proficiency assessment test (see the Obligations section) will be eligible for this test. This second stage of assessment, on the other hand, is intended to verify that students have a good understanding of the techniques of sifting through an author's manuscript tradition, the procedures of setting up a critical apparatus and those of choosing among variants, with the aim of acquiring an ability to approach critically any type of text, which is essential not only for philological work at the scholarly level, but also for professions related to editorial writing, journalistic writing and all professions related to the analysis and production of written texts.  For students who have not taken the written test (see point 1 above) this test will also cover the first part of the program i.e. the history of philological method (part 1 of the Program).

The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, and will be based on the following criteria:

(a) punctuality and active class attendance: 30% (less than 24 hours = 5 points; between 24 and 32 = 6-8 points; between 32 and 36 = 9-10 points)

b) ability to argue with correct use of language: 30% (insufficient = 5 points; sufficient = 6-8 points; good or excellent = 9-10 points)

(c) knowledge and mastery of the topics in the syllabus 40% (insufficient = 5 points; sufficient = 6-8 points; good or excellent = 9-10 points).

The sum of the scores obtained based on the three criteria (a-b-c) returns the grade in thirtieths. Since (c) weighs more, this will determine any rounding up and/or honors.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study. The main topics of the course, developed in the course of the lectures according to a didactic methodology that is also laboratory-based, cannot be in toto corresponding to the basic bibliographical titles indicated in the program for frequent attendees. They will therefore have to be supplemented with in-depth readings that, in some way, provide the theoretical and methodological basis for proceeding independently to the analysis and understanding of the texts and topics in the program. The lecturer is also available for discussion by electronic means of the various stages and problems of exam preparation.

Complete and thorough knowledge of the topics listed under Program Information is required for passing the exam.

Attendance

KNOWLEDGE OF GREEK AND ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF LATIN - OTHER PREREQUISITES

Classical Literature students should have a good knowledge of Greek, rudiments of prosody and Greek and Latin metrics.

Students of Classical Literature and students of Modern Literature will have to know the general outlines of the history of Greek and Latin theater and have an adequate knowledge of Latin.

Attendance to the lessons is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended, considering the specificity of the subject and its technical and applicative implications, treated mainly in seminars and exercises. Attending and non-attending students will be able to take the exam with this program within the extraordinary session of the a.y. 2021/2022; if they intend to take the exam afterwards, they will have to follow the program of the course established for the a.y. in which they will take the exam. 

Course books

In order to give non-attending students the opportunity to compensate for what is done during the lectures with independent study, the following materials are provided.
carried out during the lectures, the following materials referring to the same programme content are provided in order to promote full understanding:

For part 1. of the course (see the Programme Information section above and the Assessment Methods section below).

--S. Timpanaro, La genesi del metodo del Lachmann, nuova edizione, Padova 1981 and subsequent editions [read and study in full].

-T. Braccini, La scienza dei testi antichi. Introduzione alla filologia classica, Firenze, Le Monnier 2017 [full reading and study].

-Storia della filologia classica, a cura di D. Lanza e G. Ugolini, Roma, Carocci 2016 [full study and reading].

For part 2. of the course (see the Programme Information section above and the Assessment Methods section below).

Non-attending students of Modern Literature will have to read in Latin, demonstrate their ability to translate the following texts and will have to interpret their critical apparatus:

-Titus Maccius Plautus, Menaechmi, ed. G. Bandini, Sarsinae et Urbini MMXX 

For topics specifically related to Plautin philology one should read instead:

-C. Questa, Per un'edizione di Plauto, in Giornate Filologiche "Francesco Della Corte", D.AR.FI.CL.ET, Genoa 2001, pp.61-85

-G. Pasquali, Storia della tradizione e critica del testo, Milan 1974, pp. 331-393

Non-attending students of Classical Literature should read in the original language and translate:

-Titus Maccius Plautus, Menaechmi, ed. G. Bandini, Sarsinae et Urbini MMXX 

-vvv. 1-250 of Sophocles' Electra

-For topics specifically related to Plautin philology one should read instead:

-C. Questa, Per un'edizione di Plauto, in Giornate Filologiche "Francesco Della Corte", D.AR.FI.CL.ET, Genoa 2001, pp.61-85

and add the following readings:
- Sophocles. Electra, introduction and commentary by Francis Dunn, critical text by
edited by Liana Lomiento, translation by Bruno Gentili, Milan 2019
Compulsory further reading
- L. Lomiento, 'From Sparta to Alexandria. The transmission of texts in ancient
Ancient Greece', in La civiltà dei Greci. Forms, places, contexts, edited by M.
Vetta, Rome 2001, pp. 297-355
- Nota al testo, edited by L. Lomiento, in Sophocles. Electra, introduction and
commentary by Francis Dunn, critical text by Liana Lomiento,
translation by Bruno Gentili, Milan 2019, pp. LXV-CXVII
- F. Condello, Elettra: storia di un mito, Roma 2010

Assessment

Two stages of assessment:

1) interim written test after the first semester, on one of the dates set by the University, on the history of the philological method. The test will be evaluated with a score of thirty. It will allow the student to present himself for the oral examination, during which questions for further study and verification on this part of the program may be asked.

2) An oral exam on the tradition of the text of Plautus and, for students of Classics, Aeschylus. The test will be evaluated with a score of thirty.

The final grade is the average of the marks obtained in each test.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

The course is mainly held in Italian.

Important. Both attending and non-attending students will have to register on time on the Blended Learning platform for this course. In this way they will be able to access the loaded teaching materials, the notifications and the Forum dedicated to them. Please note that all notices sent by the teacher on the Blended Learning platform will be sent only to the students' institutional addresses (nomeutente@campus.uniurb.it).

-Degree Theses. Students who intend to carry out or are carrying out thesis work in this discipline will be called to collective meetings, during which the topics, times and ways of preparing the thesis will be agreed upon and managed. Appointments can be agreed upon during the course and will be communicated through Blended Learning (Moodle).

-In the University of Urbino Carlo Bo is active the University Theatrical Center Cesare Questa, which offers to the students professional courses of translation for the scene and acting, aimed at the representation, of which the students themselves, as in previous years, can be protagonists also taking up some of the topics that are the basis of the program of this course.