1999 / 6 Prospero. Rivista di culture anglo-germaniche

Prospero. Rivista di letterature e culture straniere è una rivista annuale a stampa e online ad accesso aperto del Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università di Trieste (DiSU), pubblicata dal 1994 presso la casa editrice EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste. È apparsa in precedenza con il complemento di titolo Rivista di letterature e civiltà Anglo-germaniche e, dal 2005 al 2011, con quello di Rivista di Letterature straniere, Comparatistica e Studi culturali. La rivista pubblica contributi originali dedicati alle letterature di lingua inglese, tedesca e francese. Prospero ospita contributi inediti di studiosi italiani e stranieri che pongono il testo letterario e l’analisi testuale al centro di più ampie riflessioni di carattere ermeneutico, filologico e storico-culturale. In particolare, si apre alle convergenze di carattere interdisciplinare e transdisciplinare tra la letteratura e gli altri saperi. Numeri monografici curati da guest editors italiani e stranieri su temi specifici si alternano a numeri miscellanei.

One of the features of Jonsonian comedies is the high concentration of verbal violence. Jonson himself was known for having a fairly aggressive personality, as he passionately took part in the literary disputes of his time. His predilection for violent public communication was also well known. What should also be stressed, however, is the importance that Jonson gave to the study of the most conflictual aspects of human communication and the way it can deteriorate into downright destructive abuse. In this essay, the linguistic approach to deception will centre on the knaves’ verbal ability to manipulate their victims and their victims’ beliefs. "The Alchemist" and "Volpone" are two plays that provide sample strategies of verbal deceit. The article also proposes to refer to the Pragmatics of Communication of the Palo Alto group, since many concepts drawn from the theory (for example complementarity and the double bind) can be applied to the study of theatrical communication. The author identifies three patterns of deceptive communication used by the swindlers in the plays: adulation and praise of the desired object, one-directional communication, misrepresentation of the nature of the relationship between the knaves.

James Joyce and Roberto Prezioso could both be seen as expatriates and ex-patriots; although perhaps Joyce should be better defined as expatriate and Prezioso as ex-patriot. The two authors were friends during Joyce’s stays in Trieste, and shared both creative and personal life in this city, which was the first port of the Austrian Empire and the haven of conspirators and spies during the first two decades of the 20th Century. Through some references to Joyce’s only play "Exiles", the essay tries to give an image of the figure of Prezioso, who appears to have inspired some of the features of the character Robert Hand. The article follows the rather complicated relationship between Prezioso and the Joyces, a relationship deeply linked to Trieste as well. The fate of both men will bring them away from the city, although Prezioso’s departure will be related to his troublesome identity as Italian and later Austro-Italian subject, accused of double-crossing by both Italians and Austrians.

In "Ulysses", Joyce made many references to the atmosphere he found in Trieste during his second stay between 1919 and 1920, and they were mostly connected with the decay of the town and with death itself. Italo Svevo gave a lecture about Joyce, an occasion in which he remarked that, while remembering, artists create at the same time, thus causing autobiographical elements to undergo a transformation. The relationship between Joyce, Svevo, and Trieste is reflected in some literary references in their works, although they are rather implicit. The critical reading of two passages from "Ulysses" and "La Coscienza di Zeno", both dealing with a funeral, could make these references come to the fore. Joyce’s episode is tripartite, divided into descent, transition, and raising, and seems to borrow its structure from Dante’s "Divina Comedia". This same scheme might be applied to Guido Speier’s funeral in "La Coscienza di Zeno", and an accurate analysis could provide even more similarities between the two authors’ styles. Svevo’s narrative, like Joyce’s, reflects the relationship of the author with his surrounding reality: the doubts and fears permeating post-war society, the death of hope and optimism, the disappointment, and the choosing of a myth as a refuge and as a coping strategy.