Il riflesso di Narciso nel pozzo: dal Roman de Renart al Lai de l’ombre

Abstract

The mirror, the double, the reflective surface provided a common and large stock of images and methapors to medieval literature and philosophy, mainly because of their neoplatonic roots. Trobadoric poetry has been largely investigated these years, following different critical approaches, all centered around the great erotic mirror-myth of Narcissus. This paper will focus on two texts, celebrated yet less known from this point of view, very different from one another yet both out of the lyric genre (Lai de l’ombre, Renart et Ysengrin dans le puits): the mirror-surface of the well is the key feature not only for the structure but also for the sense of a text where the erotic theme, always present, is enriched in ironic and parodic nuances and narrative possibilities.

Keywords

• narciso
• specchio
• letteratura francese medievale
• lai de l’ombre