LA GENESI DELL¿EPIGRAMMA ITALIANO: PROPOSTE TEORICHE, MODELLI, SPERIMENTAZIONI LETTERARIE, SOLUZIONI EDITORIALI

This doctoral thesis explores the origins of the Italian epigram, focusing on its development in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries through both theoretical frameworks and compositional practices. It begins with a comparative analysis of key theoretical texts, including those by Robortello, Minturno and Scaligero, as well as Jesuit manuals, to identify recurring themes and their evolution. Special attention is also given to the specifically Italian debate surrounding the genre, particularly focusing on the relationship between the epigram and the brief lyrical forms of the Italian vernacular tradition (sonnet and madrigal). Following the theoretical framework, the analysis shifts to the poetic production itself, considering significant collections explicitly labeled as epigrammatic. After exploring Eurialo d’Ascoli’s "Stanze sopra il Laocoonte, la Venere e l’Apollo" and Gabriele Simeoni’s "Metamorfoseo d’Ovidio", which are examined for their strategies in adapting the ottava rima to an epigrammatic style, the investigation focuses on two major vernacular projects aimed at the re-foundation of the classical epigram: the epigrammatic collections of Luigi Alamanni and Bernardino Baldi. The thesis analyzes their intentions, textual traditions, classical sources and references, various epigrammatic types explored, as well as stylistic choices and metric solutions.