«Secondo la forma del libro»: note sulla tradizione manoscritta della "Rettorica" di Brunetto Latini

This paper examines some neglected aspects of the textual tradition of Brunetto Latini's Rettorica. It deals first with some texts coming along with Brunetto's work in the manuscript tradition: this is particularly the case of the Fiore di rettorica. The mise en page is then considered: as usually happens when dealing with typical study books, the Rettorica presents a changing writing module (a major one for Cicero's words, and a minor one for the glosses) and a series of schemes ("trees") aiming to illustrate some of this treatise's key concepts. The analysis of such paratextual elements through the entire span of the textual tradition (eight manuscripts) shows a diachronic evolution eventually leading to the obliteration of Brunetto's original book model.