Università Roma Tre

Title of the course: A doctrinale dispute in the Court of Charles the Bald: The treatise De anima written by Ratramnus of Corbie

Description: The course aims first of all to outline, in broad terms, the developments of a theme - that of the soul - dear to the tradition of Western thought from its beginnings, and capable, in addition to incessantly nourishing the philosophical and religious reflection of high level, also of having a singular impact on the mentality, on the imaginary, on the life conduct, on the self-perception and representation of man in Western culture, and in particular in the Latin Middle Ages. A work will then be analyzed, the De anima by Ratramnus of Corbie, of a typically dossographic character, composed (853 ca.) at the request of Charles the Bald, within the framework of one of the lively debates that animated the intellectual life of the Carolingian court. While not aiming for a complete discussion of the subject in question, the work stands out as a significant contribution to the reflection on the problem of the relationship between the soul and the category of place. - As part of the module will also be activated exercises designed to guide the knowledge and use of the main electronic resources for the study and research on the Latin authors of the Middle Ages.

Bibliography:
- A. Wilmart, L’opuscule inédit de Ratramne sur la nature de l'âme, in Revue Bénédictine 43 (1931), pp. 207-223.
- Ph. Delhaye, Une controverse sur l’âme universelle au IXe siècle, Louvain 1950.
- J.-P. Bouhot, Ratramne de Corbie. Histoire littéraire et controverses doctrinales, Paris 1976 (Collection des Études Augustiniennes, Série Moyen Âge et Temps modernes [EAMA] 6).
- Anima e corpo nella cultura medievale, a cura di C. Casagrande e S. Vecchio, Ed. SISMEL, Firenze 1999 (Millennio medievale, 15).