De vulgari eloquentia
De vulgari eloquentia (
In the first book, Dante discusses the relationship between Latin and the vernacular languages, and the search for an "illustrious" vernacular in the Italian area; the second book is an analysis of the structure of the canto or song (also known as canzuni in Sicilian), which is a literary genre developed in the Sicilian School of poetry.
Latin essays were very popular in the Middle Ages, but Dante made some innovations in his work: firstly, the subject (writing in vernacular) was an uncommon topic in literary discussion at that time. Also significant was how Dante approached this theme; that is, he presented an argument for giving vernacular the same dignity and legitimacy Latin was typically given. Finally, Dante wrote this essay in order to analyse the origin and the philosophy of the vernacular, because, in his opinion, this language was not something static, but something that evolves and needed a historical contextualisation.
Structure
De vulgari eloquentia is an unfinished project, and so information about its intended structure is limited. Dante interrupted his work at the fourteenth chapter of the second book, and though historians have tried to find a reason for this, it is not known why he so abruptly aborted his essay. At some point, Dante mentions a fourth book in which he planned to deal with the comic genre and the "mediocre" style, and nothing at all is known about the third book. It is thought, however, that the first book was meant to be a sort of preface to the following three books, and so shorter than the others.
Content
In the beginning, Dante tackles the historical evolution of
In the second book, Dante deals with literary genres, specifying which are the ones that suit the vernacular.
Models
Part of a series on |
Rhetoric |
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Dante took inspiration from rhetorical essays written in Latin, Occitan, Sicilian, and Italian, and from philosophical readings. The main classical rhetorical texts from which he drew information were the Ars Poetica by Horace, the Rhetorica ad Herennium by an anonymous author, and De Inventione by Cicero. About the philosophical works, it is important to know that Dante read not only first hand texts, but also summaries that sometimes were not of the original work, but of an intermediary one. The influence and importance of the contribution of the Sicilian language is emphasized by his assertion that "the first hundred and fifty years of Italian poetry was written in Sicilian".[1]
The major Occitan work that influenced Dante was probably Razós de trobar by the
Dante became familiar with
Notes
- ^ "Et primo de siciliano examinemus ingenium: nam videtur sicilianum vulgare sibi famam pre aliis asciscere eo quod quicquid poetantur Ytali sicilianum vocatur..." ("First let us turn our attention to the language of Sicily, since the Sicilian vernacular seems to hold itself in higher regard than any other, and because all the poetry written by the Italians is called "Sicilian"..."). Dante Alighieri, De Vulgari Eloquentia, Lib. I, XII, 2 (English translation)
- ^ Ewert 1940, p. 357.
- ^ Weiss 1942, p. 160 n1.
- ^ Graham-Leigh 2005, pp. 32 and n130.
Sources
- Graham-Leigh, Elaine (2005). The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-129-7.
- Ewert, A. (July 1940). "Dante's Theory of Language". The Modern Language Review. 35 (3): 355–366. JSTOR 3716632.
- Weiss, R. (April 1942). "Links between the 'Convivio' and the 'De Vulgari Eloquentia'". The Modern Language Review. 37 (2): 156–168. JSTOR 3717624.
- Dante Alighieri (1996) [1305]. Steven Botterill (ed.). De vulgari eloquentia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Imbach, Ruedi; Irène Rosier-Cathach (2005). "De l'un au multiple, du multiple à l'un : une clef d'interprétation pour le De vulgari eloquentia". S2CID 193663077.
External links
- De vulgari eloquentia on Latin Wikisource.
- De vulgari eloquentia in Latin.
- De Vulgari Eloquentia public domain audiobook at LibriVox