RATIONES RERUM 22: Articolo Laura Crippa

Descrizione

Rationes Rerum 22

LAURA CRIPPA
«Il morto scrittore, di cui è morta la gente e la lingua». Considerazioni su Pascoli e la poesia antica

This article analyzes Giovanni Pascoli’s process of translation from classical into modern language, highlighting that his purpose was to bring a “language of ghosts” to life again. The underlying point of Pascoli’s theory is hidden between the lines of his essay Regole di metrica neoclassica, following which the author gave up imitating ancient rhythm and chose to create a new poetry “ancient but young” and able once again to open “sealed lips”. The article also shows how Pascoli took possession of an ancient text starting from its literal translation, then worked through the Latin remake of the Carmina’s collection, and finally reached the composition in Italian of the Poemi conviviali. Lastly, the article gives an example of this procedure comparing two myths about ancient female figures, Helen and Circe, who in 1899 became the symbols of two ways of approaching classical literature: imitation and inspiration.