Libro dei Sette Savj (A)

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The Italian text titled Il Libro dei Sette Savj, edited by Alessandro d'Ancona (1864), from whom it takes its siglum 'A', adheres closely to the standard Version A story pattern. Unlike the two other Italian Version A redactions (the Italian Prose (V) and Storia favolosa di Stefano) this version maintains all fifteen expected stories, in the order in which the appear in most French Version A manuscripts - unsurprising, given that the presumed source material for this text is a French A text. Wikeley (1983) suggests that the Old French source text for this Italian redaction appears to have been quite similar to Paris BNF, fr. 2137 - the same text partially edited by Le Roux de Lincy, Roman des Sept Sages de Rome (1838).

The dating of this version is currently unclear. In the description given in Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984), the authors suggest that d'Ancona 'ascribes the text he edited... to the end of the 13th century' (p. 128). D'Ancona situates the text in the 'buon secolo della lingua', the golden age of Italian vernacular literature between c. 1220-1350 (vii), but does not offer a specific date. D'Agostino (2022) comments on the 'problema cronologico', noting that it is difficult to say whether this is a 13th or 14th century codex; it follows the pattern of the 13th century French texts, however (p. 179). Wikeley (1983) suggests (in passing) a fifteenth century date for this text, which corresponds with the date for Florence Biblioteca nazionale centrale, Palatino 680 - the supplemental text d'Ancona used as an appendix. However, it seems Florence Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Gaddiano 166 predates this.

It is worth noting that this redaction appears to be, out of all the Italian Version A texts, most closely related to the French Version A tradition. D'Agostino notes that this version is celebrated for its proximity to the 'lingua d'oïl' of the time, and is famous as one of the texts 'piú ricchi di francesismi' in Italian medieval literature (p. 179) (see also Bianchi (2014-2015)).

[Added by Jane Bonsall]

Identification and general Information
Reference Number
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages
Version Number
Title
Author

Tradition and Lineage
Branch of the tradition	West
Adapted from (version)	French Version A: Roman des Sept Sages
Adapted into (version)
Source for composition and adaptation information	Wikeley (1983)

Recorded secondary versions

A (Seven Sages) Dutch Version A Dutch Verse Version: Van den seven vroeden van binnen Rome French Version A: Roman des Sept Sages Group U Group V Group W Group X Group Y Group Z Gaelic Version A German Version A: Allegatio/Libellus Italian Version A Italian Prose (V) Libro dei Sette Savj (A) Storia favolosa di Stefano (S) Latin Version A Latin Version A: Allegatio / Libellus Middle English Version A Midland Version Y Group Northern English Southern English Old Swedish Version A: Sju vise mästare Old Swedish Redaction A Old Swedish Redaction B Older Scots Version A: Buke of the Sevyne Sagis Welsh Version A: Chwedleu Seith Doethon Rufein Early Modern and Modern Welsh Version A Middle Welsh Version A

Connected manuscripts
Manuscript Language Location Date of Production Florence Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Gaddiano 166 Italian Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana 1274 - 1500 Florence Biblioteca nazionale centrale, Palatino 680 Italian Florence, Biblioteca nazionale centrale 1401 - 1500

Language and Composition
Original language of version	Italian
Language of text	Italian
Regional or specific language of version
Translated into (languages)
Place of composition	Tuscany, Italy
Date of composition	1250 - 1400
Islamic date of composition
Hebrew date of composition
Source for date of composition	D'Agostino (2022)

Modern Scholarship and Editions
Modern research literature	D'Ancona (1864), Wikeley (1983), Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984), D'Agostino (2022), Segre (1959), Bozzoli (1999), Comparetti (1869), Bianchi (2014-2015)
Modern Editions	D'Ancona, Il Libro dei Sette Savj (1864), Bianchi, Libro dei sette savi di Roma (2014-2015), Giannetti, Libro dei Sette Savi di Roma (2012)

Notes and Commentary
Note
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame

Pattern of embedded stories in this version

Has Short Title Has Sequence Number Has Narrator Has Name Variation Arbor 1 Empress   Canis 2 Bancillas Baucilasse Aper 3 Empress   Medicus 4 Anxilles Ausiles Gaza 5 Empress   Mercator 6 Lentulus Litalus Senescalcus 7 Empress   Tentamina 8 Innachindas   Virgilius 9 Empress   Avis 10 Caton Cato Sapientes 11 Empress   Vidua 12 Jesse Giesse Roma 13 Empress   Inclusa 14 Marco   Copy Embedded Stories Copy Embedded Stories × Select Target Page: Close Process

Connected prints
No connected prints