Versi cinquecenteschi in lode ed in morte di Torquato Tasso. Quattro schede (con l’edizione di due testi) ed una Postilla

The essay focuses on the examination of four poems and includes the edition of two of them, one revised and the other the «princeps». These texts were selected since they allow us to penetrate the myth of Torquato Tasso, a myth which – as Maria Luisa Doglio has shown – was set in motion by the writer himself. This is explored within the cultural milieu that was in epistolary and literary contact with Tasso, comprising Angelo Grillo and Fabio Orsini, and among the figures gravitating around the same (such as Cesare de’ Franchi). The study also extends beyond this closer network to consider the case of Pietro Delitala, who inhabited a remote and lateral dimension, which was nevertheless anything but provincial or backward. Indeed he was able to fully appreciate the scope of Tasso’s latest production in all its complexity, demonstrating a critical and literary acumen capable of adapting it to the demands of the specific context of its reception.