Truth, Falsehood, and Persuasion in Manuscript Avvisi: “È necessario che costà non si porga orecchia alle male relationi, ma guidi cavandosi le cose dagli effettii"

This chapter reconsiders manuscript avvisi - the handwritten news bulletins widely circulated in early modern Italy - by shifting attention from their traditionally studied political and diplomatic functions to their linguistic and literary dimensions. While scholars have explored the circulation, content, and sociopolitical context of avvisi, as well as the rhetoric of printed newsletters (particularly in English), manuscript news has yet to be systematically examined through the lens of language and literary form.

Focusing on a corpus of avvisi from Rome held in the Florence State Archive, this study analyses their use of recurring formulae, vocabulary, levels of reported speech, and rhetorical strategies such as anecdotes, metaphors, and hyperbole. It argues that these textual features were not merely stylistic but instrumental in shaping the cultural authority and persuasive power of the news medium. By investigating how language functioned within these handwritten texts, the essay sheds light on the communicative norms and expectations of early modern audiences.

Importantly, avvisi circulated well beyond elite or institutional readerships; they were accessible to those who could afford subscription services and often read communally. This wider reach positioned them as key vectors for the Italian vernacular, functioning as informal ambassadors of a common linguistic currency. In this sense, the study reveals avvisi as active agents in the shaping of public discourse, vernacular standardization, and cross-regional cultural exchange. By foregrounding language and form, this research contributes to media history and deepens our understanding of early modern societies’ information practices and linguistic dynamics.