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Select Corbaccio bibliography The reader is advised to consult the bibliographies to be found in the various editions of the text, especially those of Natali (1992); Padoan (1994); Cassell (1975); and Hollander's book Boccaccio's Last Fiction (1988). Brown University library call numbers are provided where available. Critical editions Corbaccio, ed. by Giorgio Padoan, in Tutte le opere di Giovanni Boccaccio, 12 vols, ed. by Vittore Branca (Milan: Mondadori, 1964-), V (ii) (1994), 413-614 The most recent critical edition, with revised text and revised numeration of paragraphs; includes manuscript and edition history; textual variants; detailed introduction and notes, index of proper names; index of nouns, bibliography. Il Corbaccio, ed. by Tauno Nurmela, Annales Academiæ Scientarum Fennicæ Series B, 146 (Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1968) The previous critical edition; includes manuscript and edition history; textual variants; introduction to the text; notes; index of names; index of works cited; plates. Other editions L'Ameto - Lettere - Il Corbaccio, ed. by Nicola Bruscoli, in Giovanni Boccaccio, Opere, vol. V (Bari: Laterza, 1940) Corbaccio, ed. by Pier Giorgio Ricci (Milan and Naples: Ricciardi, 1977). Il Corbaccio, ed. by Mario Marti (Galatina: Congedo, 1982) Contains introduction, brief notes; no paragraph numeration. Il Corbaccio, ed. by Giulia Natali (Milan: Mursia, 1992) Excellent paperback edition based on Nurmela's text; contains introduction to text; short biography of Boccaccio; bibliography; detailed notes, especially strong on identifying literary allusions to Boccaccio's sources. Paragraph numeration reproduces Nurmela's critical edition. Translations The Corbaccio, ed. and trans. by Anthony K. Cassell (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975), 1994. The first (and best!) English translation of the Corbaccio, written in a neutral language which nonetheless conveys the vigour of Boccaccio's Italian. Contains translator's introduction; introduction to the text; outstanding notes; general bibliography; bibliography of manuscripts and editions of the Corbaccio; bibliography of modern English translations of Boccaccio's works; index. Also contains an Appendix: Sumptuary Statutes of 1355 and 1356, a translation of Florentine ordinances against female adornment and the fines to be paid for the infractions of this code. Cartier, Normand R., Boccaccio's Revenge. A Literary Transposition of the Corbaccio (The Old Crow) (The Hague: Nijhoff, 1977). A self-proclaimed transposition of the text, intended for the general reader rather than the Boccaccio specialist. The language of the translation is more colloquial than that of Cassell, and the introduction and notes belie a sometimes idiosyncratic view of Boccaccio and his career. However, the notes are detailed, and sometimes provide good background information not found in other editions of the Corbaccio. Monographs Hollander, Robert, Boccaccio's Last Fiction: Il Corbaccio (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988) The fundamental study of the Corbaccio, which contains excellent overviews of various critical problems such as the Boccaccian Narrator, the dating of the text, the meaning of the title, the influence of Ovid and Dante; and bibliography. Also contains four appendices: 1. 'Texts in the Corbaccio reflecting passages in Dante', which although incomplete, is the most detailed list available in print; 2. 'The Proem of the Corbaccio: Sources and analogues'; 3. 'A partial census of some critical views concerning various problems in the Corbaccio'; 4. 'The Remedia amoris and the Proemio of the Decameron'. Levi, Attilio, Il Corbaccio e la Divina Commedia (Turin: Loescher, 1889) The first detailed study of the presence of Dante in the Corbaccio; contains list of textual allusions and discussion of the more general influence of Dante on Boccaccio. Articles These topics are often discussed in the editorial introduction of the editions above; in addition, see the following articles: General articles Cartier, Normand R., 'Boccaccio's Old Crow', Romania, 98 (1977), 331-48 A general overview of the main critical questions regarding the text, featuring extracts from the author's own translation. Psaki, Regina, 'The Play of Genre and Voicing in Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Italiana, 5 (1993), 41-54 A good introductory article, which discusses the effect of the various voices in the Corbaccio: Author, Narrator, Dreamer, and Spirit. Textual tradition Nurmela, Tauno, 'Manuscripts et éditions du Corbaccio de Boccace', Neuphilologische Mitteilungen, 54 (1953), 102-34 Describes the manuscript and print editions of the Corbaccio, including textual variants. The meaning of the title (in addition to Hollander) Bourciez, J., 'Sur l'énigme du Corbaccio', Revue des Langues Romanes, 72 (1958), 330-37 Reviews the various theories pertaining to the meaning of the title, and suggests links to the Old French poem Renart, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the Proverbia que dicuntur super natura feminarum. Cassell, Anthony K., 'The Crow of the Fable and the Corbaccio: A Suggestion for the Title', Modern Language Notes, 85 (1970), 83-91 Reviews the main theories of the title, and suggests that the title refers to the widow, by alluding to the classical tale of the crow adorned as a peacock. Hauvette, Henri, 'Une confession de Boccace: "Il Corbaccio"', Bulletin Italien, I (1901), 3-21; reprinted in Etudes sur Boccace (1894-1916), ed. by C. Pellegrini (Turin: Bottega d'Erasmo, 1968). Dated but interesting study of the Corbaccio. Hauvette contends that the text represents Boccaccio's immediate reaction to a strongly felt emotion; the work is thus a foray into a rare genre for Boccaccio, the confession. Includes a highly imaginative account of Boccaccio's supposed humiliation at the hands of 'une noble et belle veuve'. Jeffrey, Violet M., 'Boccaccio's Titles and the Meaning of "Corbaccio"', Modern Language Review, 28 (1933), 194-204 An elegant article, which considers the various theories for the word 'corbaccio' in terms of Boccaccio's own propensity for naming his books and characters from supposedly Greek derivations. The title is thus a circumlocutory neologism, with the meaning 'labyrinth of love'. Nobili, Claudia Sebastiana, 'Per il titolo Corbaccio', Studi e problemi di critica testuale, 48 (1994), 93-114. Suggests an association between the words 'corbaccio' and 'Boccaccio'; the crow of the title would therefore relate to the author rather than the widow. Also discusses the image of the crow in medieval literature and culture. Rossi, Aldo, 'Proposta per un titolo del Boccaccio: Il Corbaccio', Studi di filologia italiana, 20 (1962), 383-90 Presents the usual survey of theories, with particular emphasis on medieval bestiaries. The date of composition Padoan, Giorgio, 'Sulla datazione del Corbaccio', Lettere italiane, 15 (1963), 1-27 – ibid, in Boccaccio, le Muse, il Parnaso e l'Arno (Florence: Olschki, 1978). (Updated version of this article. For an overview of historical theories regarding the dating of the Corbaccio, see pp. 200-04.) Questions of interpretation Barricelli, Gian Piero, 'Satire of Satire: Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Italian Quarterly, 18 (1975), 95-111 Contends that, with the Corbaccio, Boccaccio is not satirizing women as much as the genre of antifeminism and the stupidity of men who take it seriously. This is achieved through the presentation of such a pair of clowns as the figures of the Narrator and his Guide. Fundamental (despite being printed in an annoyingly large font). Cassell, Anthony K., 'An Abandoned Canvas: Structural and Moral Conflict in the Corbaccio', Modern Language Notes, 89 (1974), 60-70. Presents some of the problems associated with the Corbaccio. Cottino-Jones, Marga, 'The Corbaccio: Notes for a Mythical Perspective of Moral Alternatives', Forum Italicum, 4 (1970), 490-509 Considers the hero's moral crisis, his enslavement to carnal love and his spiritual enlightenment, within the mythic cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Draws heavily on Northrop Frye's model of narrative structure. Marti, Mario, 'Per una meta-lettura del Corbaccio', Giornale storico della letteratura italiana, 153 (1976), 60-86. Attempts to gauge the extent of autobiografismo in the Corbaccio; considers such factors as Boccaccio's previous autobiographical poses; the densely allusive nature of the text; and possible factors in Boccaccio's personal life around the proposed time of composition. Padoan, Giorgio, 'Il Corbaccio tra spunti autobiografici e filtri letterari', Revue des Études Italiennes, 37 (1991), 21-37. A detailed overview of some of the critical issues: the manuscript tradition, the religiosity of the text, and the possibility of a real-life romantic rejection as its inspiration. Psaki, Regina, 'Boccaccio and Female Sexuality: Gendered and Eroticized Landscapes', in The Flight of Ulysses: Studies in Memory of Emmanuel Hatzantonis, ed. by Augustus A. Mastri (Chapel Hill, NC: Annali d'Italianistica, 1997), pp. 125-34. An excellent article, which considers how Boccaccio uses a variety of physical spaces to represent female sexuality in both the Corbaccio and the Decameron. Veglia, Marco, 'Sul nodo culturale del Corbaccio', Studi e problemi di critica testuale, 52 (1996), 79-100 Considers the construction of love as pestis in the Corbaccio in relation to Boccaccio's other works (the Decameron, the Buccolicum carmen, his Latin correspondence); and the intellectual influence of Petrarch. Literary sources for the Corbaccio Armstrong, Guyda, 'Dantean Framing Devices in Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Reading Medieval Studies, 27 (2001), 139-161 Discusses the Dantean allusions deployed by Boccaccio in the various narrative frames of the text. Cassell, Anthony K., 'Il Corbaccio and the Secundus Tradition', Comparative Literature, 25 (1973), 352-60. Considers the text in relation to the aphorisms and biography of Secundus, which became staples of the medieval 'quid est mulier' topoi. Also contains good bibliography for the classical and medieval misogynist traditions. Hollander, Robert, 'Texts in the Corbaccio reflecting passages in Dante', in Boccaccio's Last Fiction: Il Corbaccio (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988). Thorough table of references, also indicating which allusions have been noted by previous scholars. Incomplete but the best currently available in print. Levi, Attilio, Il Corbaccio e la Divina Commedia (Turin: Loescher, 1889) Fundamental early study of the textual echoes of Dante in the Corbaccio; contains (incomplete) list of allusions. Mercuri, Roberto, 'Ritrattazione in limitare di vita e ripresa di motivi danteschi nel Corbaccio', in Letteratura italiana: Storia e geografia, ed. by Alberto Asor Rosa, 3 vols (Turin: Einaudi, 1987), I, L'età medievale, 229-455, 436-44. Excellent treatment of Boccaccio's exploitation of Dantean language and imagery in the Corbaccio. Articles in English Armstrong, Guyda, 'Dantean Framing Devices in Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Reading Medieval Studies, 27 (2001), 139-161 Discusses the Dantean allusions deployed by Boccaccio in the various narrative frames of the text. Barricelli, Gian Piero, 'Satire of Satire: Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Italian Quarterly, 18 (1975), 95-111 Contends that, with the Corbaccio, Boccaccio is not satirizing women as much as the genre of antifeminism and the stupidity of men who take it seriously. This is achieved through the presentation of such a pair of clowns as the figures of the Narrator and his Guide. Fundamental (despite being printed in an annoyingly large font). Cartier, Normand R., 'Boccaccio's Old Crow', Romania, 98 (1977), 331-48 A general overview of te main critical questions regarding the text, featuring extracts from the author's own translation. Cassell, Anthony K., 'The Crow of the Fable and the Corbaccio: A Suggestion for the Title', Modern Language Notes, 85 (1970), 83-91 Reviews the main theories of the title, and suggests that the title refers to the widow, by alluding to the classical tale of the crow adorned as a peacock. ––, 'An Abandoned Canvas: Structural and Moral Conflict in the Corbaccio', Modern Language Notes, 89 (1974), 60-70. Presents some of the problems associated with the Corbaccio. ––, 'Il Corbaccio and the Secundus Tradition', Comparative Literature, 25 (1973), 352-60. Considers the text in relation to the aphorisms and biography of Secundus, which became staples of medieval 'quid est mulier' topoi. Also contains good bibliography for the classical and medieval misogynist traditions. Cottino-Jones, Marga, 'The Corbaccio: Notes for a Mythical Perspective of Moral Alternatives', Forum Italicum, 4 (1970), 490-509 Considers the hero's moral crisis, his enslavement to carnal love and his spiritual enlightenment, within the mythic cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Draws heavily on Northrop Frye's model of narrative structures. Jeffrey, Violet M., 'Boccaccio's Titles and the Meaning of "Corbaccio"', Modern Language Review, 28 (1933), 194-204 An elegant article, which considers the various theories for the word 'corbaccio' in terms of Boccaccio's own propensity for naming his books and characters from supposedly Greek derivations. The title is thus a circumlocutory neologism, with the meaning 'labyrinth of love'. Psaki, Regina, 'Boccaccio and Female Sexuality: Gendered and Eroticized Landscapes', in The Flight of Ulysses: Studies in Memory of Emmanuel Hatzantonis, ed. by Augustus A. Mastri (Chapel Hill, NC: Annali d'Italianistica, 1997), pp. 125-34. An excellent article, which considers how Boccaccio uses a variety of physical spaces to represent female sexuality in both the Corbaccio and the Decameron. ––, 'The Play of Genre and Voicing in Boccaccio's Corbaccio', Italiana, 5 (1993), 41-54 A good introductory article, which discusses the effect of the various voices in the Corbaccio: Author, Narrator, Dreamer, and Spirit. (G.A.) |
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