The Italian pianto upon the death of a political figure (thirteenth-fifteenth centuries)

Abstract

The article investigates the Italian tradition of lamenting the death of an illustrious person in the Duecento and especially in the Trecento, focusing on the similarities and differences between Latin medieval planctus and Provencal planh. Drawing from a corpus of twenty-three poems (mainly canzoni, sirventesi and cantari in ottava rima, but also a ballata), the analysis extends to authors, manuscript tradition, chronological and geographical distribution, recurring motifs, styles and tones.

Corresponding author: Marco Limongelli, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Letters/Faculty of Letters, Department of Italian Language and
Literature, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Email:
limongelli.marco@virgilio.it