Marina Buzzoni

Open versus closed recensions (Pasquali): Pros and cons of some methods for computer-assisted stemmatology

By comparing the results obtained through traditional qualitative stemmatics with those obtained through computer-assisted quantitative stemmatology, when both approaches are applied to two authentic data sets (the Old English Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and a Latin epitome of Marco Polo’s Devisement dou Monde ), this study aims at bringing to the fore the advantages and the disadvantages of some recent methods for the automatic grouping of witnesses, most of which are based on phylogenetic models. The analysis will show that not all the methods provide results which can be considered reliable in light of the evidence offered by a thorough scrutiny of the documentary history of the texts under inspection. In particular, the majority of computer-assisted methods succeed in providing very good information for detecting the grouping of witnesses, as well as for a preliminary evaluation of their variant readings. Yet, few offer some valuable guidance as to define the sub-groups. This limitation becomes crucial when the existence of more than one codex interpositus has to be postulated, i.e. when the historical evidence makes it clear that the actual textual transmission cannot conform to the mathematical ideal of cladistic parsimony. The latter case is particularly evident with ‘closed’ recensions, where mechanical reconstruction plays a heavier role, and the choice of variants follows rigorous stemmatic steps. On the other hand, the application of computer-assisted methods to ‘open’ recensions seems to give better results.

Sulle riscritture intersemiotiche: Beowulf al cinema e a teatro

Following Even-Zohar’s (1979ff.) theoretical framework, particularly as regards his theory of ‘transfer’ (i.e. a text which was created in a cultural system A is re-created in a cultural system B), this essay analyses some modern cinematic and theatrical adaptations of the Old English epic poem Beowulf. Even-Zohar’s theory of transfer has been seldom used in previous research dealing with intersemiotic translation, some notable exceptions being Cattrysse (1992), Remael (2000), and Weissbrod (2004), (2006). After discussing the peculiarities of the processes of transfer applied to medieval works, the reasons why Beowulf can still nowadays play the role of an imported good and, through its rewrites, is integrated into the home repertoire of a contemporary cultural polysystem will be discussed, along with the consequences generated by this integration. Furthermore, the network of relations between the state of the home system, the nature of the transference activity, and the relations between power and market with respect to the ideological component of the process of tranfer will be taken into consideration. To this end, the notions of ‘capital’ elaborated by Bourdieu (1980), as well as that of ‘norm’ put forth by Toury ([1978] 1995) will be used. The results achieved in this study are in line with the claim that peculiar processes affecting specific form of intersemiotic translation can be detected only within the framework of a general theory of transfer.