This paper undertakes a critical examination of the character of Christopher Columbus within the oeuvre of Giacomo Leopardi, identifying four key manifestations of this complex figure. Engaging rigorously with the extensive body of existing critical literature, the study delineates its sources while exploring various interpretative frameworks relevant to Leopardi\u2019s literary corpus. The first encounter with the character of Columbus occurs in Storia dell\u2019astronomia dalla sua origine fino all\u2019anno MDCCCXIII (History of Astronomy from its Origin until 1813), followed by a second in Saggio sopra gli errori popolari degli antichi (Essay on the Popular Errors of the Ancients) \u2212 two formative works in Leopardi\u2019s early career, both replete with rich interpretative insights. The analysis then transitions to Leopardi\u2019s poignant poem Ad Angelo Mai (To Angelo Mai), where Columbus emerges as a figure embodying a duality: he is both extolled for his pioneering discovery of the New World and criticized for the far-reaching consequences of that epic venture. Within this literary context, Columbus is intriguingly portrayed as a new Ulysses \u2212 an intrepid explorer navigating the vast unknown, who possesses the ability to distill the world into a mere \u2018brief map,\u2019 thus replacing boundless imagination with the often-harsh realities of existence. The essay concludes with a detailed exploration of Dialogo di Cristoforo Colombo e di Pietro Gutierrez (Dialogue of Christopher Columbus and Pietro Gutierrez), a compelling piece written in 1824 and included in the Operette morali (The Moral Essays). This section analyzes prominent critical interpretations of the dialogue, focusing on the themes of journey, doubt, anticipation, hope, and the pursuit of knowledge. The research underscores the originality and distinctiveness of Columbus\u2019 portrayal in Leopardi\u2019s works, revealing how he captures profound philosophical an poetic dimensions that resonate powerfully with the poet\u2019s overarching worldview and existential reflections on life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This paper undertakes a critical examination of the character of Christopher Columbus within the oeuvre of Giacomo Leopardi, identifying four key manifestations of this complex figure. Engaging rigorously with the extensive body of existing critical literature, the study delineates its sources while exploring various interpretative frameworks relevant to Leopardi\u2019s literary corpus. The first encounter with …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":236,"menu_order":0,"template":"","tags":[243,99,98,96,97,100],"class_list":["post-263","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-19th-century","tag-christopher-columbus","tag-comparative-analysis","tag-giacomo-leopardi","tag-intertextuality","tag-italian-literature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffstopenpress.ffst.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}