Testori, Iacopone e il planctus Mariae

Abstract

In 1992, just a few months before his death, Giovanni Testori composed "Mater Strangosciàs", a monologue that rewrites the lauda "Donna de Paradiso" by Iacopone da Todi. Comparing the two texts in all their structural, narrative, and stylistic aspects, the essay aims at demonstrating how Testori builds on Iacopone’s hypotext in order to create the figure of a mater dolorosa that can be regarded both as a summa of religiosity and as a way for the author to recall his mother, thus asking for her help to overcome death in a sort of eschatological vision.

Keywords

• testori
• iacopone da todi
• religiosity
• monologue