The Literary Riddle in Early Modern Italy
Published on 5. August 2025
268 pages
978-1-040-40768-4 (ISBN)
Description
This book describes the development of the literary riddle in Renaissance Italy, when poets appropriated riddles from oral tradition, combined them with the conventions of literature, and paired them with solutions that could be checked after reading. This book includes an original theoretical framework for the investigation of riddles, dividing riddles into categories based on their enigmatic link. A section about the social uses of riddles in early modern Italy shows how riddles were routinely exchanged at soirees and in the activities of academies and congreghe, all environments where the folk qualities of the riddle could be playfully appreciated. The riddle became a key element in narrative works by Giovanni Francesco Straparola and Ascanio de' Mori, and, for the first time, it fueled enough collections of poems to trigger an entire genre. Examples will come from Angelo Cenni, Daphne di Piazza, Girolamo Musici, Tommaso Stigliani, Giulio Cesare Croce, Antonio Malatesti, and many others.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
File size
16,07 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-040-40768-4 (9781040407684)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Marco Arnaudo
The Literary Riddle in Early Modern Italy
Book
08/2025
1st Edition
Routledge
€212.90
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Marco Arnaudo
The Literary Riddle in Early Modern Italy
Book
06/2025
Routledge
Unfortunately, price unknown
Available (delivery time upon request)
Person
Marco Arnaudo is Professor of Italian at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he teaches classes about literature, games, comics, and military philosophy. His books include editions of 17th-century works and the monographies Il trionfo di Vertunno (2008), Dante barocco (2013), The Myth of the Superhero (2013), and A Tabletop Revolution (2024). He is the designer of the game Four against the Great Old Ones (2020) and has a video blog about tabletop games and gamebooks (MarcoOmnigamer, 25,000+ subscribers).
Content
Introduction
Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework
Chapter 2: Riddles as Social Exchange
Chapter 3: Riddles as Literary Inserts
Chapter 4: Collections of Poetic Riddles: Cenni, Daphne, Musici
Chapter 5: Collections of Poetic Riddles: Stigliani, Croce, Malatesti
Chapter 6: Malatesti's Legacy
Index
Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework
Chapter 2: Riddles as Social Exchange
Chapter 3: Riddles as Literary Inserts
Chapter 4: Collections of Poetic Riddles: Cenni, Daphne, Musici
Chapter 5: Collections of Poetic Riddles: Stigliani, Croce, Malatesti
Chapter 6: Malatesti's Legacy
Index
