Desktop versionMobile version

Texte et contexte

 | 
Irini Tsamadou-Jacoberger
, 
Isavella Stamatiadou

L’édition nationale des œuvres de Nicolas Machiavel : quelques réflexions philologiques et linguistiques

Emanuele Cutinelli-Rendina

Abstract

This article presents some philological and linguistic issues related to the National Edition of Nicolas Machiavelli’s (1469-1527) works. After several failures over two centuries, the complete critical edition of this classic Italian prose began only in 1991, within the institutional framework of national editions promoted (organized) by the Italian State. The author of this article, member of the Scientific Committee of the Machiavelli’s National Edition, was in charge of editing a part of the official correspondence of the great Florentine with a linguistic and historical commentary (about twelve thousand letters). It’s about dispatches sent by Machiavelli in Florence when he was on a mission by sovereigns across Europe, as well as letters he wrote on behalf of the lordship from the Chancellery of the Republic of Lilies. While they certainly have a pragmatic and non-literary or theoretical nature, these texts nevertheless are the ground on which, once the author was in exile, will give birth to the Prince and the Discourses on Livy, the Art of War and Florentine Histories. They are mostly unpublished, and their edition presents several problems: often encrypted, these texts change register according to their recipients, mix not only Latin and vulgar, but can be easily influenced by the language of the country in which Machiavelli is, whether in France, the Habsburg court, or Switzerland. There is a great number of problems which the modern editor must face if he wishes to be introduced not only to the complexity and variety, but also to the personal and efficient style of Machiavelli’s language.

The HTML, PDF, ePub formats of this book are available to the users of libraries and institutions subscribing to the OpenEdition Freemium program for Books. The book can also be purchased on the sites of partner bookstores, in PDF and ePub formats, if the publisher has opted for commercial distribution. If a print edition of the book is available, links to bookstores will be displayed on this page.

Excerpt

Contextualisation historique des éditions de Machiavel

Dans ce volume consacré à l’édition de manuscrits entre Moyen-âge et première époque moderne, nous souhaitons relater notre expérience d’éditeur scientifique et de commentateur de certains textes marginaux du corpus de Nicolas Machiavel des textes restés presqu’inconnus et inédits, bien qu’autographes, jusqu’à nos jours. C’est-à-dire jusqu’en février 2012, lorsque nos collègues du comité de l’Édition Nationale des œuvres de Machiavel et nous, nous avons accompli la tâche d’éditer philologiquement, et avec un appareil critique idoine, l’ensemble des textes administratifs et diplomatiques du Florentin1. Il est presque inutile de rappeler que les œuvres de Machiavel, et notamment le Prince et les Discours sur la première Décade de Tite Live, mais aussi l’Art de la guerre et la Mandragore, constituent le faîte de la prose italienne, l’un des sommets les plus admirés et imités et, qu’en somme, dans la tradition littéraire italienne,...

Author

Docteur en philosophie de l’Université « La Sapienza » de Rome et docteur ès lettres de l’Université de Lausanne, il est actuellement professeur de littérature italienne à l’Université de Strasbourg. Ses recherches portent essentiellement sur la pensée politique et l’historiographie de la Renaissance italienne. Il a publié notamment Chiesa e religione in Machiavelli, Rome, Pise, IEPI, 1998 ; Introduzione a Machiavelli,Rome Bari, Laterza, 1999 (4e édition revue et augmentée : 2003 ; traduction japonaise : Tokio, Daido, 2002) ; Guicciardini, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2009.

The text and other elements (illustrations, imported files) may be used under OpenEdition Books License, unless otherwise stated.

Search OpenEdition Search

You will be redirected to OpenEdition Search