Pich, F (2014) ‘Con la propria mia voce parli’. Literary genres, portraits and voices in Giuseppe Betussi’s 'Le imagini del tempio' (1556). Italian Studies, 69 (1). pp. 51-74. ISSN 0075-1634
Abstract
Giuseppe Betussi’s Imagini del tempio della signora donna Giovanna Aragona (1556) offers a privileged insight into the inner workings of encomium as a crucial self-authorizing experience in Renaissance culture. In this perspective, the paper focuses on: a) the strategic blending of literary genres as a response to the tensions of a challenging editorial market; b) the pivotal role of figurative metaphors in the self-depiction of celebrative texts and their connection with the memorial and allegorical dimensions; and c) the multiplication of textual voices and layers as a means of staging celebration itself as an ongoing performance, combining monumental accomplishment and verbal dynamism. It considers the question of why Betussi seemingly connects a small corpus of lyric texts (the sonnets quoted in the Imagini) to a major collection (Ruscelli’s 1554 Tempio alla divina signora Giovanna d’Aragona) by means of a dialogue between Truth and Fame and proposes that the figure of Truth enables Betussi to modulate one single voice from the apparent interaction of many, ultimately building on well-established collective models to create a solo encomiastic anthology.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Keywords: | dialogue, encomiastic literature, genre, lyric anthologies, illustrious women, portraiture |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Italian (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 28 Mar 2018 14:37 |
Last Modified: | 28 Mar 2018 14:37 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1179/0075163413Z.00000000059 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:127977 |