OVERVIEW

The course will focus on the innovations that the use of modern digital tools has introduced in philological-linguistic, critical-textual and interpretative analysis. Through a series of examples and with the guided use of some of the main digital tools, we will reflect on the research potential that these tools offer, on the theoretical and methodological implications of the digital transition and on the practical impact of the new means of textual analysis in the work of philologist.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main aim of the course consists in the in-depth study of the main notions of textual criticism and in the acquisition of the methodologies of philological analysis of Italian texts applied to the digital environment, in line with the specific objectives of digital philology, which is based on the application of computer science methods and tools to textual criticism studies. Particular care will be dedicated to illustrating the different types of tools useful for the study of textual traditions (databases, archives, digital libraries, philological repertoires), and then addressing the characteristics and methodologies of digital scientific editions. In particular, the potential of digital humanities in the production of digital critical editions (both in the field of reconstructive philology and in that of authorial philology) and other useful tools in the field of attribution or linguistic and stylistic analysis of the text will be highlighted .

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

After a general introduction dedicated to explaining the fundamental philological methodologies and the main notions of textual criticism and analysis of the transmission of the texts, a brief overview of the IT tools useful for philological studies and their various functions for addressing philological questions will follow. The course will then illustrate the main processes and methods of analysis characteristic of digital philology through a series of examples of critical editions and other specific resources.

At the end of the course the student will have to:

- understand and know the methods of transmission of Italian texts and their representation in a digital environment;

- know the main material peculiarities of the witnesses transmitting Italian texts (manuscripts, ancient prints, etc.) and the digital tools useful for their dating, localization, archiving and analysis;

- know how to analyse, contextualize and interpret the literary text on a philological basis, also making use of the possibilities offered by the digital dimension;

- know how to detect and codify the formal and stylistic data of the text in a digital environment and enhance them in the philological analysis and interpretation;

- know how to read existing digital critical editions and knowing the main procedures useful for their realization;

- know how to use the main digital bibliographic resources functional to philological analysis (repertoires, dictionaries, concordances, databases, etc.);

- be able to illustrate the principles and methods of textual criticism and digital philology using appropriate terminology;

- know how to present the results of critical-textual investigations and interpretative hypotheses using appropriate language.

PREREQUISITES

Having passed the Italian Philology o Philology of Theatrical Texts exam in the bachelor’s degree course is recommended, but non mandatory.

All students are obliged to register with AulaWeb.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, also including collective discussion on the texts and editions examined, as well as guided research on digital repertoires, archives and libraries, consultation and construction of digital critical apparatus. The teacher will make the materials discussed in class available on AulaWeb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Introduction to digital philology

PART ONE: Digital tools for Italian philology

In this section of the course, the main issues concerning the reconstruction of the text and the analysis of the tradition will be reviewed, verifying the impact of digital tools on textual criticism and text interpretation. In particular, attention will be focused on the following topics:

- production, transmission and circulation of texts;

- census and analysis of testimonies (manuscripts, prints, other media);

- genealogical method;

- linguistic and formal restitution of the texts;

- “filologia d’autore” and analysis of variants.

PART TWO: Print and Digital Critical Editions

This section will focus on the digital critical edition, examining its defining characteristics, potential, and limitations, particularly in comparison with the traditional print critical edition.

In particular, the following issues will be examined:

 - Various types of editions and their digital counterparts;

- Purpose and characteristics of the digital critical edition.

- Automatic witness classification and qualitative evaluation.

The final part of this section will focus on a number of case studies, including group discussion, illustrating the use of digital tools in the editing and interpretation of Dante’s works.

Students who cannot attend are requested to contact the teacher before the end of the semester.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following essays are study sources for the exam:

- all topics and texts analyzed in class (including materials distributed and discussed);

- Francesco Bausi, La filologia italiana, Bologna, il Mulino, 2022, capitoli I-III (pp. 25-104), VI (pp. 191-231) e VIII (pp. 263-291).

- Francesco Stella, Testi letterari e analisi digitale, Roma, Carocci, 2018, pp. 1-54;

- Paola Italia, Editing Duemila. Per una filologia dei testi digitali, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2020, introduction (pp. 7-15), chapters 3 (pp. 122-170) and 4 (pp. 171-235);

- Tiziana Mancinelli-Elena Pierazzo, Che cos’è un’edizione scientifica digitale, Roma, Carocci, 2020, pp. 9-18, 31-87 (chapters 1, 3-5).

- Marina Buzzoni, L’edizione critica tra cartaceo e digitale, «Ecdotica», 20 (2023), pp. 81-95.

- V. Celotto-A. Mazzucchi, Ricostruzione del testo e banche dati. La filologia digitale alla prova dell’esegesi antica della Commedia, in Me.Te. Digitali. Mediterraneo in rete tra testi e contesti, Atti del XIII Convegno Annuale AIUCD, Catania 28-30 maggio 2024, a cura di A. Di Silvestro Antonio, D. Spampinato, Catania, Università di Catania, 2024, pp. XXII-XXIX (freely available for download at: https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/7927/).

Students who cannot attend are requested to contact the teacher before the end of the semester.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Teaching will commence in the week beginning February 15, 2027, according to the timetable.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Students must demonstrate that they know the topics and problems addressed in the lessons and that they have studied the assigned essays (see Texts/Bibliography); they must also be able to discuss these topics using the specific terminology of the discipline.

In particular, the exam interview will aim to verify the students' knowledge of the methods of transmission of Italian texts and their possibility of representation in an analogical environment (traditional critical edition) or in a digital one (digital critical edition), as well as the ability to analyze the literary text on philological bases.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Erasmus students not proficient in Italian can take the examination in English or French and prepare the following program:

- Paolo Trovato, Everything you Always Wanted to Know about Lachmann's Method. A Non-Standard Handbook of Genealogical Textual Criticism in the Age of Post-Structuralism, Cladistics, and Copy-Text, Padova, libreriauniversitaria.it, 2014, pp. 39-224;

- Handbook of Stemmatology. History, Methodology, Digital Approaches, edited by Ph. Roelli, Berlin-Boston, De Gruyter, 2020, pp. 208-291;

- Digital Scholarly Editing: Theories and Practices, Cambridge, Open Book Publisher (https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0095.pdf), pp. 19-82, 219-238.

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLDs) can find information on requesting support services, reasonable accommodations, assistive technologies, and other forms of academic support in the document available at the following link:

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