Università Roma Tre

This course will address the growing, from about mid-thirteenth-century, of a new kind of poetry, focused on the analytical description of passion and of the physiological and psichological effects of love on the lover, on the praise of the beloved woman and of his ennobling power, and on man as a rational being. The beginnings and the various outcomes of this poetic manner, traditionally labelled as ‘stil novo’, will be investigated through a close reading of the oeuvre of the three main poets of Italian Duecento: Guido Guinizelli, Guido Cavalcanti, the young Dante Alighieri. Special attention will be paid: (1) to the philosophical knowledge that substantiates their poetry and to the intellectualistic character of their works; (2) to the dialogue that they established among themselves, with other poets (such as Guittone d’Arezzo and Bonagiunta da Lucca) and intellectuals.

Students will read in depth the following texts:

- texts by Guinizelli in "Poesie dello Stilnovo", a cura di Marco Berisso (Milano: Bur-Rizzoli, 2006), pp. 69-87.
- Guido Cavalcanti, "Rime", a cura di Roberto Rea e Giorgio Inglese (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011 and reprints).
- Dante Alighieri, "Vita nova", a cura di Stefano Carrai (Milano: BUR, 2009 and reprints).
- Enrico Fenzi, "La canzone d’amore di Guido Cavalcanti e i suoi antichi commenti" (Milano: Ledizioni, 2015, pp. 1-174; first Edition: Genova, Il melangolo, 1999).

On Moodle students will find some other texts discussed during lectures and the Power Point presentations that highlight some key-points.
Lessons of the 12 and 19 November, devoted to Cavalcanti and to the medical literature on the pathology of love, have been recorded and are available on Stream.

Further readings:

- R. Antonelli, «Cavalcanti o dell’interiorità», in «Critica del Testo» IV, 2001, 1. «Alle origini dell'io lirico. Cavalcanti o dell'interiorità» (2001), pp. 1–21 (available through Discovery).
- F. Bruni, «Semantica della sottigliezza» (1978), in Id., «Testi e chierici del medioevo» (Genova: Marietti, 1991), pp. 91–134.
- G. Gorni, «La Beatrice di Dante, dal tempo all’eterno», in D. Alighieri, «Vita Nova», a cura di L. C. Rossi (Milano: Mondadori, 1999), pp. V-LX.
- E. Pasquini, «Il “dolce stil novo”», in «Storia della letteratura italiana», a c. di Enrico Malato, vol. I. t. 2. «Prosa e poesia del Duecento. Dante» (Milano: Il Sole 24 ore, 2005), 649–721.

Students not attending lectures will also read:
- P. Borsa, «La nuova poesia di Guido Guinizelli» (Firenze: Cadmo, 2007).
They are strongly encouraged to get in touch with the teacher, in order to discuss the preparation of the exam.