LATE LATIN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

1) Knowledge and understanding:

The course aims to make students acquire knowledge of the basic lines of the history of Late Latin literature and the acquisition of the fundamental structures (phonetic, morphological, syntactic, lexical) of the Late Latin language.

2) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:

The knowledge acquired in the course will be applied by the students to the understanding of elementary and more complex texts, through the reading of some passages in the original, with the aid of a translation in modern language and the commentary aimed at examining the literary, exegetical, linguistic, stylistic aspects and sometimes even textual criticism. In addition, in order to have a better understanding of late ancient texts and their literary models, students will also be able to deepen the knowledge of the computer resources to be applied to the analysis of these sources. Furthermore, they will expand their ability to interpret the interrelationships between the literary phenomena of Late Antiquity, the critical issues connected with them and the artistic expressions of the same period.

3) Autonomy of judgment:

Students will have to develop independent judgment and possess analytical and critical skills in the interpretation of the texts and authors in the program.

4) Communication skills:

Communication skills will be developed with the aim of a clear and precise exposition of exegetical issues or some simple critical-textual problems.

5) Learning skills:

Students will be able to develop the skills of learning the fundamentals of the late Latin literature and language, which are necessary for them to undertake subsequent also interdisciplinary studies with a high degree of autonomy.

The course includes lectures or equivalent activities with the help of multimedia tools, to facilitate the application of the main computer resources to the study of late Latin literary texts.

Attendance is not compulsory.

The course, which is divided into three modules, is based on the study, conducted with the methodologies of philological and critical-literary research of late Latin prose and poetic texts. It aims to provide an overview of the historical-literary profile of the authors in the program and is also aimed at investigating the reception of themes and texts of the classical tradition in the late Latin literature (module A). The course also aims to present the most characteristic features of late Latin language and to evaluate the extent of their influence on subsequent medieval and romance linguistic developments (module B). The theoretical part of the fundamentals of Late Latin literature and language (consisting of modules A and B respectively) will be accompanied by the guided translation of Latin texts in prose and verse belonging to the Late Antiquity period, to which particular attention will be paid through the explanation of critical readings in the classroom (module C : Insights with critical readings).

A)      Principles of late Latin literature (3 ECTS)

 

- F. Gasti, Profilo storico della letteratura tardolatina, Pavia, Pavia University Press, 2013, pp. 1-322 or alternatively F. Gasti, La letteratura tardolatina. Un profilo storico (secoli III-VII d. C.), Roma, Carocci editore, 2020, pp. 1-288.

 

B)    Fundamentals of late Latin language (2 ETCS)

- E. Löfstedt, Il latino tardo. Aspetti e problemi. Con una nota e appendice bibliografica di Giovanni Orlandi, Brescia, Paideia Editrice, 1980, 9-59; 99-254.

 

C)    Insights with critical readings (1 ETCS)

During the lessons, texts by authors in prose and verse belonging to late antiquity will be read, translated and commented. The texts will be provided by the teacher during the lessons.

Critical readings (at least 3 critical readings should be chosen by the student among the following ones):

1) M. R. Petringa, Le attestazioni del verbo clepto nel latino tardo e medievale, in «Latin Vulgaire Latin Tardif X», Actes du X^e colloque international sur le latin vulgaire et tardif (Bergamo, 5-9 septembre 2012), Édités par P. Molinelli, P. Cuzzolin et C. Fedriani, II (Sémantique, Lexique, Textes et Contextes), Bergamo, University Press, 2014, pp. 615-626.

2) M. R. Petringa, Particolarità lessicali nel poema dell’Heptateuchos, in M. R. Petringa, Philologa Zetemata. Studi di filologia patristica, (Biblioteca di Commentaria Classica, V), Catania, Litterae Press, 2024, pp. 133-136.

3) M. R. Petringa, Due particolarità linguistiche nell’anonimo poema dell’Heptateuchos, in M. R. Petringa, Philologa Zetemata. Studi di filologia patristica, (Biblioteca di Commentaria Classica, V), Catania, Litterae Press, 2024, pp. 223-231.

4) M. R. Petringa, Il vocabolario della medicina in Agostino, in M. R. Petringa, Philologa Zetemata. Studi di filologia patristica, (Biblioteca di Commentaria Classica, V), Catania, Litterae Press, 2024, pp. 233-248.

5) M. R. Petringa, La lingua del De errore profanarum religionum di Firmico Materno, in M. R. Petringa, Philologa Zetemata. Studi di filologia patristica, (Biblioteca di Commentaria Classica, V), Catania, Litterae Press, 2024, pp. 299-308.

6) M. R. Petringa, A proposito dei termini parabolarius / παράβολος, (h)arenarius e μαστιγοφόρος tra Agostino, Firmico Materno e i glossari, «Vetera Christianorum» 63, 2026, c. d. s.

7) M. R. Petringa (a cura di), Sitografia ragionata di Lingua e letteratura tardolatina, pp. 1-20 (the websites will be presented in a multimedia way during the lessons and provided in pdf. format to the students).

 

Non-attending students are asked to contact the teacher at least two months before taking the exam to agree on an alternative program.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

The teachers undertake, within the limits of the financial resources, to ensure as far as possible that a copy of the adopted texts is available in the departmental library or (in the case of hard-to-find texts, articles and essays) to make them available on Studium, in accordance with the applicable copyright laws.