Aristotle’s Rhetoric in Italy (1250–1400): the latin and the vernacular traditions

The chapter is focused on the reception of Aristotle’s Rhetoric in Late Medieval Italy and is divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to the three Medieval Latin translations of the text, and to the circulation of Moerbeke’s version in particular. It will also take into account the earliest commentary tradition, giving special attention to Giles of Rome’s commentary. The second part focuses on the Italian context and illustrates how Aristotle’s text was accessed by scholars and readers both in Latin and in the vernacular. In particular, I investigate the following aspects: the manuscript tradition and the circulation in Italy of Moerbeke’s version; three 14th-century unedited translations of the Rhetoric; examples of the literary reception of Aristotle’s treatise, as further proof of the Rhetoric’s early success in the history of Italian literature.