The Italian Literary Canon and the Arts: from Dante to Tasso
While the idea of canonicity implies aspirations towards permanence and stability, the making of a canon is a turbulent process, involving various and often contradictory components. Focusing on the early response of the visual arts to the masterpieces of selected literary authors —from Dante and Petrarch to Ariosto and Tasso—, this talk investigates the role of the visual arts in the dynamics of formation of a literary canon in 16th-century Italy.
