Uncovering a Forgotten Italian Renaissance Comedy: A Commented Critical Edition of Francesco Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio by Joanne Granata A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Joanne Granata 2015 Uncovering an Forgotten Italian Renaissance Comedy: A Commented Critical Edition of Francesco Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio Joanne Granata Doctor of Philosophy Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto 2015 Abstract Comedy is an essential literary genre for any culture and any period. It provides both a representation and criticism of society, societal norms and societal institutions, and, as such, allows scholars to reconstruct societies and regain knowledge from centuries ago. As Riccardo Scrivano argues, “with the audacity of its fictions, its hypotheses, its capacity to cancel the usual modes of conduct, it reveals to us different ways of organizing knowledge, and thus different ways of knowing” (12). Each and every play and playwright add a new dimension of knowledge and a new means of knowing to our established repertoire of understanding. Consequently, every play, comedy in this instance, contributes to the process of understanding and influencing the society in which it is set, as well as those that follow it and those from which it borrowed. Douglas Radcliff-Umstead observes that “Italian playwrights turned to Roman antiquity to find a dramatic technique, but they combined literary traditions and the contemporary reality of their own country to create a comic theatre that helped determine the course of modern European drama” (Modern Comedy 243). Every play and playwright, including Francesco Antonio Rossi and his Capriccio, perform an important role in this process and should not be overlooked. The central objective of this dissertation is to produce a commented critical edition of Francesco ii Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio in accordance with the standard methods and practices laid down by modern scholarship in textual criticism. Until Rossi’s Capriccio is given new life in the form of a critical edition, academia’s comprehension of this author and his work will be incomplete, leaving Rossi’s comedy to sit on library shelves, never having had its significance realized. iii Acknowledgments Although this dissertation bears my name, it is the result of the time, assistance, and support of many people. I would like to acknowledge and thank the Department of Italian Studies, the Department of Language Studies, and all of their members, for extending their time and their various talents in the preparation and completion of this thesis, as well as all the men and women working in the Italian libraries and archives in which I spent many hot summer days researching. Their kindness, willingness and eagerness to help a very timid and very green graduate student is truly appreciated and will not be forgotten. To my colleagues, my friends, whose unceasing camaraderie has ensured that this process has been filled with smiles, kind words, and an unfailing sense of humour, and to the members of my thesis committee, Professor Salvatore Bancheri and Professor Francesco Guardiani, for their assistance, their feedback, and their helpful suggestions throughout this process, I extend my sincerest appreciation. A special thank-you to my supervisor, Professor Michael Lettieri, who introduced me to Francesco Antonio Rossi, his Capriccio, and philology. This thesis could not have been possible without you or your belief and trust in me and my research. To my grandparents, Antonio and Giovannina Granata, and Nicola and Caterina Lijoi, who carried a belief in and appreciation for the value of education across countries, continents, oceans, and time, and coupled it with an unbelievable sense of hard work and dedication, infinite grazie. A heartfelt thank-you to my family, my brothers Robert and Marco, and my parents Michele and Antonietta. Words will never be able to convey the depths of my gratitude for the immeasurable and unfaltering support you have shown me, and for your unwavering love, encouragement, and patience throughout the entirety of this journey. This thesis is as much yours as it is mine. iv Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 Italian Renaissance Comedy: Theory and Practice Chapter 2 Francesco Antonio Rossi: Life and Works Chapter 3 Francesco Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio Chapter 4 Rossi’s Capriccio: A Critical Edition Capriccio Comedia del Dottor Francesco Antonio Rossi (with textual and historical notes) Description of the Critical Apparatus (preceded by an explanation of its structure) Bibliography Appendices v List of Appendices Instances of Filopono’s use of Latin and Pseudo-Language 1598 Edition Act 3, Scene 8 – Portion Replaced in 1628 Edition of Rossi’s Capriccio Dedicatory Letter to 1598 Edition of Rossi’s Capriccio Correspondence Between Fra Ludovico del Balzo and Francesco Antonio Rossi Dedicatory Letter to 1628 Edition of Rossi’s Capriccio Application of Criteria and Norms of Transcription to Extra-textual Material vi Preface Philological inquiry allows scholars to recapture knowledge that has been lost over the centuries through the reconstruction of a text: it not only provides new life to a text, but enriches the literary period to which the text belongs, increasing the depth of understanding of both the period and works of authors within that period. Such can be said of a philological reconstruction of Francesco Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio. Italian Renaissance comedy and Francesco Antonio Rossi’s (c.1560 – c.1628) Capriccio1 are the focal points of this dissertation. First published in 1598 in Naples by Giovanni Giacomo Carlino and Antonio Pace, the comedy Capriccio attained great success; it is from Rossi’s dedicatory letter to Giuseppe Brandolino that we learn of the significant popularity Rossi’s work attains, and the reasons for which a second edition was published. Rossi writes, [e] fu, non so per qual cagione, così fortunata che di buona quantità che gli impressori ne fecero, non passò troppo spazio di tempo che non se ne ritrovò pur una. Ora poi essendo pervenuta alle mani di alcuni miei amici e Signori assai intendenti di ciò, mi hanno più volte imposto che io volessi ristamparla, se non per altro almeno per soddisfare a coloro che se ne mostrano tanto bramosi. Il perché non potendo io mancare a i loro comandamenti, ho voluto di nuovo farla imprimere col dedicarla a Vostra Signorìa e porla 1Capriccio shares its title with several other Italian comedies; see, for example, Accademia degli Intronati, Il Capriccio, 1566-68; Giacomo Guidozzi, Il Capriccio, 1608; Il Capriccio villanesco per trattenimento d’una veglia, an annonymous comedy written in the seventeenth century. 1 2 sotto l’auttorità e protezione sua, sicuro che oltre l’onore che ne acquisterà, sarà sopra tutto ben difesa da i morsi dei maldicenti. Given that the many printed copies of the 1598 edition were sold very quickly, the play was subsequently reprinted in 1628 in Naples by Ottavio Beltramo. The 1598 edition of the comedy is preceded by a brief dedicatory letter addressed “al serenissmo principe il Signor D. Ranuccio Farnese, Duca di Parma et di Piacenza”, while the 1628 edition of the comedy is preceded by a brief dedicatory letter “al Molto Illustre Signore, e Padrone Osservandissimo il Signor Gioseppe Brandolino, Consigliero Nel Sacro Real Conseglio di Napoli”. According to Louis Kronenberger, “comedy is criticism” (195); it is not hostile to idealism, but rather, demonstrates how humans fall short of that ideal. Comedy is criticism because “it exposes human beings for what they are in contrast to what they profess to be” (Kronenberger 195). Comedy demonstrates that one man is no better than another, and vice versa; comedy questions the normative roles imposed by society and initiates reflection.2 Understood as such, comedy is an essential literary genre for any culture and any period, and each and every comedy provides insight and presents truth about the culture and the period to which it belongs. The same can be said of Francesco Antonio Rossi’s Capriccio, which contributes to the dialogue of Renaissance comedy, exhibiting the tension between classical and contemporary influences and tradition and innovation. Rossi’s Capriccio follows the typical five-act structure of Renaissance comedy. In his work, Francesco Antonio Rossi presents his readers with a story featuring many pairs of star- crossed lovers (Carlo and Flavia; Alessandro and Fiammetta; Camillo and Cinzia), and multiple 2 For example, Kronenberger asks the questions: Is man really the head of the household? Is woman truly innocent and docile? Does man truly make the decisions? etc. 3 characters in disguise (Camillo, Flavia, Lucio). Set in sixteenth-century Rome, the Capriccio centres on the private lives of fourteen characters, and recounts the stories of their intertwining love triangles and intrigues, combined with trickery, disguise, and the attempts of two fathers (Oraldo and Ostilio), to safeguard the future of their respective children. Oraldo attempts to do so through arranging appropriate marriages for his children Carlo and Cinzia, while Ostilio, who has completely misunderstood Camillo’s own plans, is determined to save his son from a life of servitude dressed as a female. The action of the comedy is carried by the servants Lucio and Sandrina to a final delightful end, wherein the plans of the fathers are foiled and the young lovers are reunited. Also a