Vernacular Translators in Quattrocento Italy: Scribal Culture, Authority, and Agency

Description

This book provides a richly documented study of vernacular translators as agents within the literary culture of Italy during the fifteenth century. Through a fresh and careful examination of these early modern translators, Rizzi shows how humanist translators went about convincing readers of the value of their work in disseminating knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible to many. The translators studied in this book include not only the well-known 'superstars' such as Leonardo Bruni, but also little-known and indeed obscure writers from throughout the Italian peninsula. Rizzi demonstrates that vernacular translation did not cease with the rise of 'humanism'. Translations from Greek into Latin spurred the concurrent production of 'new' vernacular versions. Humanists challenged themselves to produce creative and authoritative translations both from Greek and occasionally from the vernacular into Latin, and from Latin into the vernacular. Translators grew increasingly self-assertive when taking on these tasks. The findings of this study have wide implications: they trace a novel history of the use of the Italian language alongside Latin in a period when high culture was bilingual. They also shed further light on the topic of Renaissance self-fashioning, and on the workings of the patronage system, which has been studied far less in literary history than in art history. Finally, the book gives welcome emphasis to the concept that the creation and the circulation of translations (along with other literary activities) were collaborative activities, involving dedicatees, friends, and scribes, among others. List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction: A New Era for Translators 1 Authority 9 Eloquence 13 Collaboration 16 Friendship 19 'Libri utilissimi' 21 The Translator and the Paratext 23 Translations as Objects 29 Chapter 1: Early Quattrocento Vernacular Translators 35 How Many Vernacular Translators? What Texts Did They Translate? 38 Beyond 'Humanism' and its Dichotomies 47 Chapter 2: Translators at the Court of Naples 57 Agents of Praise and Blame 60 Diligent and Industrious 63 'I had worked hard': Self-translators and Self-promoters 68 Chapter 3: Early Quattrocento Humanists and the Dignity of the Vernacular 75 Vernacular Writing in the Early Quattrocento 78 Vernacular Translation and 'Following the Times' 83 Chapter 4: Bruni and the 'New' Quattrocento Translator 91 'Each thing is most completely perfect' 92 Communication and Persuasion through Vernacular Translation 98 The Traductor as a Model for Vernacular Translators 100 Bruni Defending his Translative Practice 107 Chapter 5: Between Elegance and Intelligibility 115 The Quest for Elegance 117 The Vernacular Traductor 120 'We have improved the text' 128 Chapter 6: Collaborative Transformations 139 Transforming the Ruler 141 Mirroring the Ruler 150 'Your lordship, make up my inaccuracies' 154 Chapter 7: Friends Gifting Vernacular Translations 159 Open Expressions of Friendship 163 Seeking and Giving Political Support 167 Gifts of Collaboration 175 Conclusion 179 Appendix: List of Quattrocento Vernacular Translators for the Years 1392–1480 187 Bibliography 201 Index of Names 227