Who decides to write a historical text in the Middle Ages, and why? When does a scriptor become an auctor? Memory is an irrepressible part of the human essence, and anyone who holds a pen in his hands may need to write down information on the present and past. But at the same moment in which he retrieves and transcribes information, he also starts changing everything, because by writing he expresses an essential part of himself. The copyist, especially if he is a professional, selects and summarizes news, and adapts them to his own interests and his own world. It happens many times in ‘scriptures’ traditionally considered ‘literary works’. But the medieval scriptores not always aspired to become auctores: they ascended to the next level only if they demonstrated a sufficient degree of self-awareness.
Perché tanti anonimi nel medioevo? Note e provocazioni sul concetto di autore e opera nella storiografia mediolatina
DELLE DONNE, FULVIO
2016-01-01
Abstract
Who decides to write a historical text in the Middle Ages, and why? When does a scriptor become an auctor? Memory is an irrepressible part of the human essence, and anyone who holds a pen in his hands may need to write down information on the present and past. But at the same moment in which he retrieves and transcribes information, he also starts changing everything, because by writing he expresses an essential part of himself. The copyist, especially if he is a professional, selects and summarizes news, and adapts them to his own interests and his own world. It happens many times in ‘scriptures’ traditionally considered ‘literary works’. But the medieval scriptores not always aspired to become auctores: they ascended to the next level only if they demonstrated a sufficient degree of self-awareness.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
