Laura Lazzari

Poesia epica e scrittura femminile nel Seicento: “L’Enrico” di Lucrezia Marinelli

Does a female epic exist? Do female authors relate to the genre in a different way than male writers? From a reading of Lucrezia Marinelli’s L’Enrico, ovvero Bisanzio acquistato (1635) it would seem so. The poem, long mistakenly considered as a mere copy of Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, deliberately distances itself from the literary canon, revising epic events, and featuring original heroines: the sorceress on the island is not a sensual temptress, while the female warriors do not end up being killed or subjected to a male hero.

The clearly philogynist intent pursued by the author in her poem allows interesting comparisons with her most famous work, the treatise on the Nobility and excellence of women dating back thirty-five years earlier. This study adds to others that for several decades have tried to bring to light the writings of women, and opens them to new investigations to highlight the richness and novelty that characterize the works of Marinelli, partly in an effort to restore the author to her much deserved place in the literary canon.

Publisher: http://www.in-su-la.com/?page_id=165