L’édition nationale des œuvres de Nicolas Machiavel : quelques réflexions philologiques et linguistiques

Résumé 0

This article presents some philological and linguistic issues related to the National Edition of Nicolas Machiavelli’s (1469-1527) works. After several failures over two centuries, the complete critical edition of this classic Italian prose began only in 1991, within the institutional framework of national editions promoted (organized) by the Italian State. The author of this article, member of the Scientific Committee of the Machiavelli’s National Edition, was in charge of editing a part of the official correspondence of the great Florentine with a linguistic and historical commentary (about twelve thousand letters). It’s about dispatches sent by Machiavelli in Florence when he was on a mission by sovereigns across Europe, as well as letters he wrote on behalf of the lordship from the Chancellery of the Republic of Lilies. While they certainly have a pragmatic and non-literary or theoretical nature, these texts nevertheless are the ground on which, once the author was in exile, will give birth to the Prince and the Discourses on Livy, the Art of War and Florentine Histories. They are mostly unpublished, and their edition presents several problems: often encrypted, these texts change register according to their recipients, mix not only Latin and vulgar, but can be easily influenced by the language of the country in which Machiavelli is, whether in France, the Habsburg court, or Switzerland. There is a great number of problems which the modern editor must face if he wishes to be introduced not only to the complexity and variety, but also to the personal and efficient style of Machiavelli’s language.