The course aims to develop students’ ability to read and interpret Italian texts from previous centuries through a linguistic perspective. The monographic section focuses on the so-called “epistolary grammar”—the set of textual and linguistic conventions that, for centuries, shaped written correspondence, including private and family letters. Topics include opening and closing formulas, the structure and sequencing of topics, and the linguistic strategies associated with dialogue, expressiveness, and the codification of social relationships.
Course Prerequisites
Completion of at least 6 ECTS credits in Italian Linguistics earned during the bachelor’s degree programme.
Teaching Methods
Lectures will be complemented by workshop-style seminars. Most classes will focus on the reading and discussion of epistolary texts chosen to illustrate the features of epistolary grammar within specific historical periods or sociocultural contexts.
Assessment Methods
Assessment will consist of an oral examination. The exam is designed to evaluate both general knowledge of the sociolinguistic framework and specific skills in the linguistic analysis of selected passages from the translation, also in relation to the original French text and the relevant theoretical framework.
Texts
1. Fabio Magro, La lettera familiare, in Storia dell’italiano scritto, III. Italiano dell’uso, edited by G. Antonelli, M. Motolese, and L. Tomasin, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 101–57.
2. L’epistolografia di antico regime, edited by Paolo Procaccioli, Milano, Ledizioni, 2019.
3. Claudia Dinale, I giovani allo scrittoio, Padova, Esedra, 2001.
A4. ll materials presented and analyzed during the course.
For non-attending students, point 4 is replaced by the following volume: Giuseppe Antonelli, Tipologia linguistica del genere epistolare nel primo Ottocento. Sondaggi sulle lettere familiari di mittenti cólti, Roma, Edizioni dell’Ateneo, 2003.
Contents
The Epistolary Grammar Through the Centuries
a) Metahistorical aspects b) The vernacular Middle Ages and mercantile letters c) Renaissance codification and the rise of letter-writing manuals d) The epistolary culture of the eighteenth century e) Familiar letters written by educated correspondents in the nineteenth century f) Twentieth-century literary correspondences g) Youth letters from the late twentieth century h) Digital neo-epistolarity
Course Language
Italian
More information
Student consultations are by appointment via email (giuseppe.antonelli@unipv.it ) and can be held either in person at Tower B, San Tommaso Building, or online via Microsoft Teams.
