Histories of Italian Literature

Author(s): Ernest H. Wilkins

Source: Bulletin of the American Association of Teachers of Italian, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Nov.,
1925), pp. 61-63
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Italian
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3220827
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 BUT IF.TIN
OF THE

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
TEACHERS OF ITALIAN
EDITED BY
RUDOLPH ALTROCCHI

Volume II November, 1925 Number 4

HISTORIES OF ITALIAN LITERATURE

T HE standard history of Italian literature is the co-operative

Storia letteraria d'Italia scritta da una societd di professori,
lished in Milan by Vallardi. The several volumes are as foll
C. Giussani Letteratura romana
F. Novati Le origini
G. Bertoni II duecento
N. Zingarelli Dante
A. Solerti Le vite di Dante, Petrarca e Boccaccio scrittefino al secolo
decimosesto
G. Volpi II trecento
V. Rossi II quattrocento
F. Flamini II cinquecento
A. Beloni II seicento
T. Concari II settecento
G. Mazzoni L'ottocento

These volumes, except that by Novati, were published at vari

times between 1895 and 1915. Some of them have been reissued in
revised editions. The volume by Novati is still in process of publica-
tion, infascicoli.
The volumes by Giussani, Novati, and Solerti really fall outside
the proper field of the history of Italian literature. Giussani's work
carries the story of Latin literature down to the second century of
our era. Novati's deals with the culture and the literature-still in
Latin-of the medieval centuries prior to the thirteenth. Solerti's
volume is of a very special nature, and its inclusion in this series is
fortuitous.
Of the eight main volumes of the series each, as will be seen, covers
a century, except that one entire volume is devoted to Dante. In each
volume the body of the book is devoted to historical presentation,
and the bibliography is massed at the end, divided into paragraphs
corresponding in general to the pages of the volume.
The work as a whole is masterly and authoritative, and is not
likely to be superseded for many years.
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 A companion work, as yet incomplete, is the co-operative Storia
dei generi letterarii italiani, also published by Vallardi. Each volume
in this set traces the history of a single genre for all or part of the
period of Italian literary history. The bibliographical material is
arranged as in the other set. The volumes thus far completed are:
A. Albertazzi II romanzo
0. Bacci La critica letteraria (to 1400)
A. Belloni II poema epico e mitologico (excluding the romances of
chivalry)
E. Bertana La tragedia
V. Cian La satira (to 1500)
L. Di Francia La novellistica, Vol. I (through Bandello)
E. Carrara La poesia pastorale
F. Foffano II poema cavalleresco (from Boiardo)
I. Sanesi La commedia, Vol. I (to 1600)
C. Trabalza La critica letteraria (from 1400)

The following are now in process of publication, in fascicoli:

V. Crescini II poema cavalleresco (to Boiardo)

G. Falorsi Disegno storico della letteratura (political literature)
A. Galletti L'eloquenza
G. Gentile Lafilosofia
G. Lisio La storiografia
E. Percopo La poesia giocosa
G. Rossi Le autobiografie e gli epistolari
A. Salza La lirica (from 1700)
I. Sanesi La commedia, Vol. II

Of the histories written by a single author the most serviceable,

in my judgment, is that by V. Rossi, Storia della letteratura italiana,
also published by Vallardi. The first edition appeared in 1900. Later
editions have followed at frequent intervals.
This history is divided into three small volumes, the first coming
down through the Trecento, the second covering the Renaissance,
the third beginning with the Seicento. Each chapter in each volume
is followed by a bibliography.
The thoroughness of the work, in view of its small size, is remark-
able; its scholarly accuracy is of a very high order; and its organiza-
tion and presentation are good. The volumes are so inexpensive as
to be readily available for private ownership.
There are, of course, many other Italian histories of Italian
literature, of many sorts, from the ponderous eighteenth century
compilation of Tiraboschi to brief modern school manuals. Perhaps
the most notable for the purposes of the teacher is the Storia della
letteratura italiana of the great romantic critic Francesco De Sanctis,
first published in 1870, and often reissued-as for instance in 1912
by Laterza, in Bari, in the Scrittori d'Italia series. This work, a
literary monument in itself, was written before the movement of
modern scholarship was well under way, and its statements and
estimates are by no means to be blindly trusted; but it is so rich in
passages of revealing interpretation that it will long render valuable
service.

62

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 The
Themost
mostelaborate
elaboratehistory
history
of Italian
of Italian
literature
literature
written outside
writtenof outside of
Italy
ItalyisisA.A.Gaspary's
Gaspary's
Geschichte
Geschichte
der italienischen
der italienischen
Literatur,Literatur,
in two in two
large
largevolumes,
volumes, thethe
firstfirst
published
published
in 1885,inby1885,
Oppenheim,
by Oppenheim,
in Berlin, in Berlin,
the
thesecond
secondin in
1888,
1888,
by Triibner,
by Triibner,
in Strassburg.
in Strassburg.
This work,
This
leftwork, left
incomplete
incomplete at at
thethe
author's
author's
death,death,
comes comes
down only
downto the
only
middle
to the middle
of
of the
thesixteenth
sixteenthcentury.
century.
Gaspary
Gaspary
combined
combined
scrupulous
scrupulous
accuracy accuracy
in
in scholarship
scholarship with
with
a sound
a sound
literary
literary
appreciation
appreciation
and a veryand
reala very real
critical
criticalgift.
gift.
TheThe
excellence
excellence
of hisofwork
his was
worksoonwas
recognized
soon recognized
by by
Italian
Italianscholars,
scholars,
andand
it was
it translated
was translated
into Italian,
into by
Italian,
Zingarelli
by Zingarelli
and and
V.
V. Rossi,
Rossi,and
and
published
published
in 1887-1891
in 1887-1891
by Loescher,
by Loescher,
in Turin. in
TheTurin. The
translation
translation hashas
since
since
beenbeen
reissued,
reissued,
with thewith
bibliographical
the bibliographical
material material
-which
-whichisisarranged
arrangedas inasthe
in co-operative
the co-operative
works mentioned
works mentioned
above- above-
brought
broughtdowndown to date.
to date.
H.
H. Hauvette's
Hauvette's Litterature
Litterature italienne,
italienne,
published
published
in 1910 byin Colin,
1910 by Colin,
in
in Paris,
Paris,is is
anan
excellent
excellentworkwork
in oneinvolume,
one volume,
without without
bibliography.
bibliography.
In
In English
Englishwewe have
haveas yet
as nothing
yet nothing
better better
than Richard
than Garnett's
Richard Garnett's
very
veryunsatisfactory
unsatisfactory History
History
of Italian
of Italian
Literature,
Literature,
publishedpublished
in 1898, in 1898,
in
in Appleton's
Appleton's "Literatures
"Literaturesof theofWorld"
the World"
series. series.
All
All the
theworks
worksnamed
namedabove,
above,
exceptexcept
possiblypossibly
the Storia
thedeiStoria
generi dei generi
letterarii
letterariiitaliani,
italiani,
which,
which,
thoughthough
valuable,
valuable,
is not soisindispensable
not so indispensable
as as
the
theothers,
others,should
should
be in
bethe
in library
the library
of any of
institution
any institution
offering courses
offering courses
in Italian literature. A teacher of Italian literature should own the
Rossi, and as many of the others as possible.
I have never found a history which suited me as a text for use with
American students in a general course on Italian literature-and
have tried several different books. The Rossi, again, is on the whole
the best, but it is much too long and too full to be studied in anything
like its entirety by American undergraduates. My practice recently
has been to have each student purchase copies of the first two volumes
of that admirable anthology, the Manuale della letteratura italiana
of D'Ancona and Bacci, and to cover the ground by lectures, taking
advantage, however, of the biographical and bibliographical materia
so richly supplied in the D'Ancona and Bacci. (The later volume
of that anthology are too inclusive to be well adapted for American
use, and purchase of the entire set would in any case be impracticabl
for most students.) I venture to add that I am hoping to have ready
for publication within two years or so a one-volume history of Italia
literature which will be adapted for use with college classes.
ERNEST H. WILKINS
The University of Chicago

SOME DEVIATIONS FROM CURRENT RULES

IN ITALIAN GRAMMAR

In the texts we place in the hands of our Italian students

meet with constructions which, being in evident contradic
rules studied in our grammars, are bound to cause a great
confusion. In that case the tendency is all too frequent, on
of us teachers, to put the blame on the grammar, with a la
pedagogical result as a consequence: that of inculcating in t
63

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