Visual Discourse in Petrarch's Sestinas
Francesco Marco Aresu
Visual Discourse in Petrarch's Sestinas Francesco Marco Aresu Introduction MS Riccardiano 1088 is a paper codex of seventy folios, dated between the end fourteenth century and beginning fifteenth, conserved Florence Biblioteca Riccardiana.1 It miscellaneous manuscript that preserves redaction Petrarca's canzoniere (in Malatesta form).2 The copyist starts transcribing poems two columns, odd lines on left even right, with significant exception sestinas, which are copied single column folios 17r, 20r-v, 25v. After folio 26v, sudden change pen, ink, layout occurs. Halfway through his transcription canzoniere, leaves dramatic testimony scribal resolutions. From now on, as he tells readers 27r, will discontinue practice following different layouts for metrical genres, distancing himself from conventions we know them partially autograph Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (henceforth RVF): Vat. Lat. 3195.3 Instead, uniformly transcribe any type same format, one verse per line, proceeding vertically: "Non mi piace di piu seguire discriuere nel modo cheo tenuto da quinci adietro cioe passare daluno colonello alaltro, ançi intendo giu p(er) lo cholonello tanto che si co(m)pia la chançone o sonetto chesia [I don't wish to continue writing way I have done so far, is, switching other. plan down until either canzone or sonnet complete]."4 An urge standardization simplicity here replaces more philological approach mise-en-page exemplar authorial (and authoritative) editorial decisions.5 In this essay, explore material treatment poetic genre sestina (with exclusion doppia, RVF 332)6 RVF: aforementioned 3195.7 outline how [End Page 185] choices isolate sestinas both experiments precursors developing form (Raimbaut d'Aurenga, Arnaut Daniel, Dante Alighieri) other genres (sonnets, canzoni, ballate, madrigali). Then, study interacts their subject matter. Finally, focus interaction it relates lyrical forms terms semantic contribution structure an organic book poems. intend show work loci progressive synthesis assessment narrative songbook, niches metaliterary considerations. Toward History Sestina Often referred order distinguish sesta rima), that, Aurelio Roncaglia's words: consta sei strofe esastiche, più una tornada tre versi. Le parole terminano i versi non soggiacciono, entro singola strofa, vincolo rima, ma ripetono identiche ogni combinando all'insistenza lessicale il dispositivo dei rims dissolutz…. Da strofa all'altra varia soltanto l'ordine successione, risulta ciascuna ripresa diverso, governato però legge permutazione rigorosa.8 [consists six stanzas each three lines. Within strophe, words at not rhyme scheme, but repeated identically all strophes, combining lexical insistence device strophe only presentation varies: every round, though still complies rigorous law permutation.] succinct definition requires some expansion. notion dissolutz (or rimas dissolutas; also estramps estrampas, literally "rhymes limp") refers rhyme...
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