Lettere poetiche

Based on the discussions Tasso had with his revisors, and more generally on his reflections concerning the path to follow in order to finalize his epic, this collection of letters (now available in edition of Carla Molinari, Parma, Guanda, Fondazione Pietro Bembo, 1995) provides a fascinating image of a busy poetry workshop engaged in serious theoretical discussion as well as practice. While finishing and revising the cantos to be sent to Rome, Tasso re-read Aristotle’s Poetics and the commentaries available, returning to the conceptual issues already dealt with in his Discorsi dell’arte poetica. Thus matters concerning the relationship between the main plot and “episodes” returned to the forefront of the discussion, together with the related question of the epic’s unity (his main opponent here was Speroni). Tasso was also concerned not simply with the views of literary experts, but with ordinary readers, as demonstrated by his repeated questions to Gonzaga on the judgements circulating in Rome on his work, which still existed in manuscript form only. Tasso’s letters include examination of the classical epics, especially those by Homer and Virgil, but what also transpires is his concern to respond to the criticisms (particularly those made by Silvio Antoniano) of the love stories and the lewdness they allegedly added to the epic. His objective appears clear, namely to produce a proper epic that would also interest a broad readership: curiously enough, the Gerusalemme liberato did in fact achieve this goal, although it was no longer in the hands of its author.