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  • Incipitque Semper
  • Richard Macksey

This issue of MLN appears in a somewhat unusual format of two volumes. The first contains the current harvest of essays and reviews in comparative literature, while the second is a Festschrift dedicated to John Freccero—scholar, teacher, and friend of several generations of scholars. This volume had its origin in a "homecoming" symposium celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Professor Freccero's doctoral degree at Hopkins. (John is, in fact, what is sometimes styled a Hopkins "lifer," having taken both his undergraduate and graduate degrees here, as well as serving on the faculty and editorial board of this journal.) The conception and execution of the two-day symposium in 2008 and the present volume reflect the dedicated work of a rising generation of scholars—Igor Candido and Francesco Caruso. In these labors they were assisted, early and late, by Walter Stephens, the Charles S. Singleton Professor of Italian Studies. The selection of essays suggests both the enduring influence of John Freccero's pioneering work as a paramount dantista and the range of his collateral interests over the centuries (from John Donne to contemporary cinema).

Thanks are compoundedly due Ben DeForest, who served with distinction as last year's assistant editor and heroically continued with the current issue. His shrewd and tactful editorial work has elicited warm appreciations from a number of our authors. He was joined in September and the ensuing difficult months by John Polewach, who brought a philosopher's sense of exactitude and a musician's sensibility to editorial discussions and the preparation of manuscripts.

Once again, we are also indebted to Myrta Byrum at the Johns Hopkins University Press for helping to guide this issue through production with her customary care, long-tried patience, and unfailing good humor. We are also grateful to our (perforce anonymous) referees for their manuscript reviews.

With this issue we mourn the loss of three distinguished former colleagues who in times past generously offered advice and judgment in matters historical: David Donald, Philip Curtin, and Raymond Westbrook. The many friends of Joshua Gold, who had known him during his postdoctoral years here and [End Page 1257] admired his work and warmth, were saddened by his untimely death at the beginning of a career of great promise. Josh's elegantly suggestive essay, "The Dwarf in the Machine: A Theological Figure and Its Sources," appeared in the 2006 Comparative number of this journal. [End Page 1258]

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