Una tradizione testuale mobile: il caso del Festial di Mirk e della sua Revisione

Written between 1380 and 1390 by John Mirk, the Festial is the most widely known collection of Middle English sermons from late medieval England. Its complex textual tradition is divided into a Group A, which represents Mirk’s original plan of composition; a Group B, a subsequent redaction; and a later Revision. Among the manuscripts of the Revision, only London, British Library, Harley 2247 (R1) and Royal 18.B.XXV (R2) survive in complete form. A close reading of their texts reveals a striking degree of independence from the “original” Festial. Focusing on selected sermons concerning the figure of the disbelieving woman, the feast of St Bartholomew and that of Sts Peter and Paul, this essay posits some reflections on the need to reconsider the position of R1 and R2 with respect to Mirk’s work.