OVERVIEW

Medieval and Humanistic Latin Literature focuses on the Latin literary works composed during the Middle Ages and the Humanist period, as well as on their authors, literary genres, and the cultural contexts in which they were produced.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide a global picture of the main literary genres and authors of Latin literature from the sixth to the fifteenth century, through the reading and commentary of the most significant texts, with particular attention to the identification of the relationships between literary facts and related historical contexts.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to illustrate, through an examination of some of the most significant episodes in medieval cultural history, a number of fundamental expressions of medieval European civilization and culture, considered through the specific medium of literary production. These cultural and literary developments span approximately one millennium (from the sixth to the fifteenth century), during which written expression and, consequently, the communication of ideas were transmitted almost exclusively through the Latin language.

Participation in the course activities and independent study will enable students to acquire:

• theoretical and methodological knowledge of the principal issues related to the discipline;
• the ability to critically engage with topics concerning fundamental literary knowledge;
• the ability to apply the theoretical and methodological tools acquired during the course to specific case studies;
• the ability to analyse a medieval Latin text and place it within its proper historical and cultural context;
• the ability to develop a critical approach allowing them to assess different interpretations of a text and formulate independent hypotheses;
• the ability to communicate the specific features of the discipline using appropriate terminology;
• the ability to consult primary sources and secondary scholarship critically.

Students taking the course for 9 CFU will read and discuss a larger number of texts and will therefore acquire a more in-depth knowledge of the selected materials.

PREREQUISITES

None.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lectures. Classes will be held exclusively in person. Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. Seminars delivered by specialists in the field may also be organized.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will provide an overview of the history of Latin literature from Late Antiquity to Humanism, accompanied by the reading and commentary of selected texts (students taking the examination for 9 CFU will be required to study a larger number of texts than those taking the course for 6 CFU).

The course will address, among others, the following topics:

• the different periods of the medieval millennium;
• culture and education in the Middle Ages and the Humanist period;
• the languages of the Middle Ages;
• the transmission of texts during the medieval and humanistic periods;
• the genres of medieval and humanistic Latin literature, between continuity and innovation.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Programme for attending students (6 CFU)

1. Course materials made available by the instructor on Aulaweb;
2. Anthology of texts read and discussed during classes, available on Aulaweb;
3. G. Cappelli, L'Umanesimo italiano da Petrarca a Valla, Carocci, Roma 2010 (and subsequent reprints);
4. Slides and additional bibliographical materials provided during the course.

Programme for attending students (9 CFU)

1. Course materials made available by the instructor on Aulaweb;
2. Anthology of texts read and discussed during classes, available on Aulaweb;
3. G. Cappelli, L'Umanesimo italiano da Petrarca a Valla, Carocci, Roma 2010 (and subsequent reprints);
4. Slides and additional bibliographical materials provided during the course;
5. One of the following volumes:

• G. Billanovich, Lezioni di filologia petrarchesca, a cura di D. Losappio, introduzione di G. Frasso, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Venezia 2008;
• P.O. Kristeller, Quattro lezioni di filologia, a cura di L.C. Rossi, con due scritti di L. Lehnus e G. Velli, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Venezia 2003;
• Le cronache delle città mediterranee (secc. XI-XVI), a cura di G.C. Alessio e D. Losappio, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Veneia 2025;
• Preumanesimo: riflessione critica, teoria letteraria e prassi letteraria. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi (Genova, 23-24 ottobre 2023), a cura di G.C. Alessio, C. Fossati e D. Losappio, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Venezia 2025 (excluding the essay by J.-F. Chevalier);
• P. Rosso, La scuola nel Medioevo. Secoli VI-XV, Carocci, Roma 2018 (and subsequent reprints);
• P. Rosso, Le università nell'Italia medievale. Cultura, società e politica (secoli VI-XV), Carocci, Roma 2021 (and subsequent reprints).

Programme for non-attending students:

Non-attending students (regardless of whether they take the examination for 6 or 9 CFU) are required to:

• supplement the course materials with the reading of E. D'Angelo, La letteratura latina medievale. Una storia per generi, Viella, Roma 2009;
• replace item no. 2 above with the reading of:

a. Facezie del Quattrocento e del Cinquecento, vol. I, a cura di M. Ciccuto e S. Pittaluga, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Venezia 2025, pp. 5-322 (Poggio Bracciolini's Facetiae and the Facetiae extravagantes attributed to Poggio Bracciolini);

b. Cronaca di Novalesa, edizione e traduzione italiana a cura di G.C. Alessio, Centro di Studi Medievali e Rinascimentali E.A. Cicogna, Venezia 2026 (in corso di stampa).
 

All non-attending students are required to contact the instructor, who will provide detailed information regarding the examination programme.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Week beginning 15 February 2027, according to the official timetable.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination will normally consist of four or five questions relating to items 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the bibliography, plus one additional question on item 5 (for students taking the course for 9 CFU).

Students will be expected not only to demonstrate knowledge of the topics covered by the course, but also to show that they have read the texts included in the anthology and are able to analyse and contextualise them appropriately from historical, cultural, and literary perspectives.

Non-attending students will also be required to demonstrate knowledge of the material covered in the additional readings assigned to them.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) can find information on how to request support services, compensatory measures, exemptions, and specific accommodations in the document available at the following link:

https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/modulistica