Giovanni Meli, The Lyric Poetry of Giovanni Meli

Gaetano Cipolla (St. John's University)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1779 - 1815

Places

Italy (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Lyric

Resources

Although Giovanni Meli’s Buccolica (Bucolic Poetry) is considered by many as his masterpiece -- it was regarded by Attilio Momigliano as “the only genuine bucolic work that Italian literature has ever produced” (346) -- Luigi Pirandello pointed out that Meli did not always use the shepherd’s flute, but expressed himself across many genres. Regarding specifically his lyric output, Meli produced an impressive array of odes, sonnets, canzoni, canzonette, capitoli, elegies, epigrams, satires and occasional poems. The themes he explored in his work range from gallant-erotic odes to pessimistic philosophical reflections on the meaning of life, from playful and joyful “cicalate” to barbed satires …

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2430 words

Citation: Cipolla, Gaetano. "The Lyric Poetry of Giovanni Meli". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 January 2019 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38929, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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