Lingua, filosofia e libertà di stampa : Bruno e l'edizione Wolfe dei Ragionamenti di Pietro Aretino

In 1587, the English printer John Wolfe released an edition of Aretino's La prima parte dei Ragionamenti. The volume is introduced by a Letter to the Reader, signed by a Barbagrigia. Though this Barbagrigia's identity remains unknown, some hints about the ideological leanings of his Letter can be gleaned by situating this individual within the circle of Italian exiles living in England and examining their relationship with John Wolfe's printing house. In this paper, I look at the reciprocal philosophical connections between the Letter to the Reader and Bruno's Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast. Ultimately, the paratext of Wolfe's edition reflects a line of thinking shared by morally heterodox authors who were often at odds with secular and religious authorities. Their outsider status induced them to advocate free speech and publish books to promote their philosophy. [Publisher's text]