V. 15 N. 1-2 (2012)
Articoli

L’elaborazione delle similitudini nell’Orlando furioso: i canti XXXVII e XLVI

Pubblicato 2013-09-24

Parole chiave

  • Ariosto,
  • Orlando Furioso,
  • similes,
  • autograph fragments,

Abstract

An analysis of autograph fragments from book 37 of the <i>Orlando Furioso</i> provides new evidence for Ariosto’s propensity to create similes ‘on the spot’ during the revision phase of the narrative sections. A study of book 46 shows that a similar strategy may also have been adopted in the last similes of the poem. This paper tries to explain why Ariosto chose to introduce so many similes in the space of a few octaves. In particular, it highlights the role of similes in controlling the flow of the narrative and in expanding and slowing down the narrative time.