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italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies I am a doctoral student in musicology at the university of Oregon, writing a dissertation on the ways in which poetic theory of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries influenced the compositional ethics of several Italian composers of the period. I have discovered that the theories of their contemporaries in academic and literary circles shaped many of these composers' ideas and choices concerning theories of genre and imitation. Though I have read a good deal, I am still having trouble answering the following questions, and am making this inquiry in the hope of receiving assistance and input. 1. Can anyone recommend sources, or think of any ideas about how I might improve my skills in the analysis of late sixteenth-century and early seventeenth-century Italian poetry? In addition to working with the poetry of Petrarca and Tasso, I need to analyze poetry that is, perhaps, admired as much by musicologists as by scholars of literature, such as madrigali, sonetti, and canzoni by Guarini, Marino, and Rinuccini, among others. Most of the analytical information I have now is, in fact, written by musicologists, some of whom, for example, describe Guarini's style as epigrammatic or Rinuccini's style as melic. Although I can discern differences in their styles, I wouldn't have been able to put my thoughts in those terms. 2. What are the best sources for studying Seicento Italian poetic theory? Bernard Weinberg writes about almost nothing past 1600, but makes it clear that the current debates do not end during that year, and that new ones surface at the beginning of the Seicento. 3. How can I learn about standard conventions of academic writing between 1580 and 1650? For example, many composers choose to have others write letters of request or responses to academic attacks for them. Also poets, such as Guarini, seem to go to great lengths to conceal their identities behind academic pseudonyms or official titles. Are these practices normal or unusual? Why? I read both modern and seventeenth-century Italian with ease, and could make my way through sources in German and French as well, I welcome responses in either English or Italian. If you feel that the topics I am addressing are of limited interest to other list participants, please feel free to respond to me off-list at [log in to unmask] with more basic ideas. Thank you for your time and assistance. Sincerely, Jamie Weaver ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join italian-studies YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave italian-studies to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/italian-studies.html