The 'Mare amoroso' has been the subject of sporadic critical interest for the last two centuries. Containing 334 verses, this anonymous love poem exists in a single manuscript, the Riccardiano 2908, located in the Biblioteca Riccardiana in Florence, Italy. Considered to be of the late thirteenth century or early fourteenth century, it is the third work in a bound codex which begins with two poems of Brunetto Latini (1220?-?1294), the 'Tesoretto' and the 'Favoletto,' and includes a sonnet of Cecco Angiolieri (1250?-?1312) on the recto side of the last folio. All four poems were copied by a single hand The poem is conventional in its content, yet unusual in its form. Although largely hendecasyllabic, its verses present a wide variation of meter. There is no rhyme scheme to the poem other than twelve isolated final rhymes and several internal rhymes, a fact which has led some scholars to call the 'Mare amoroso' the first example of hendecasyllabic free verse, or 'endecasillabo sciolto.' In modern collections, the poem is sometimes grouped with bestiaries because of its extensive use of animals to describe by way of metaphors and similes either the author or his beloved. It is also a treasury of references to European literary works and characters, both contemporary and classic, including many Arthurian allusions The most comprehensive research on this poem and the previous criticism dealing with it was done by Emilio Vuolo. His findings first appeared in installments in Cultura Neolatina from 1952 to 1958 and were subsequently compiled in a diplomatic edition in 1962 I summarize past and more recent criticism of the work, provide an English translation and detailed analysis of the poem, and elaborate my reasons for asserting that this poem is the work of Brunetto Latini / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_24171 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Contributors | Chalmers, Teri Fulmer (Author), Poe, Elizabeth W (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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