Metamorfosi e inversioni ironiche nella catena intertestuale: da Christopher Marlowe a Edith Sitwell

Abstract

This essay starts by examining the abundant Biblical references in Christopher Marlowe's drama, and especially The Jew of Malta and Doctor Faustus . It particularly assesses the degree of fidelity of such references to their source text, as it throws light on the distortions and omissions by which the playwright modifies Holy Scripture to fit his own ends. Subsequently, the essay considers the poetical production of the Modernist author Edith Sitwell, who, in her compositions inspired by World War II, recovers and refashions some significant passages from Marlowe's works. Indeed, Sitwell's verse is a valuable instance of her remarkable skill in awarding new vitality and relevance to words and phrases which she extracts from the literary tradition in order to transform and update them.

Keywords

• english literature
• poetry
• Marlowe