L'inamoramento de Orlando : dallo spettacolo al romanzo

Due to the lack of a critical approach that takes into account the theatrical aspect of Boiardo's poem, we have undertaken a semiotic analysis that brings forth some peculiarities of the poem's theatrical performance, most of which stem from the traditional "cantari".The intertextual comparison between the principle "cantari epico-cavallereschi" and the "Inamoramento de Orlando" permits us to reevaluate the importance of these sources, that are, in our opinion, essential to the comprehension of the poem. However, these sources have not been, to date, considered determining by literary critics. In addition, we highlight the various aspects of communication between the narrator and his audience.Finally, the analysis of the rhetorical structure of the poem (proems, epilogues, narrative connectors, commentary, orality) allows us to propose an hypothesis of double reception of the "Inamoramento de Orlando " as well as a double reading of the poem, both as a theatrical representation and as a novel. This provides Boiardo's poem with its special trait of "open text"