Heldendarstellung in Ariostos Orlando furioso. Herrscherlob und erzählerisches Ingenium in postheroischen Zeiten

Abstract

Abstract In Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, heroism represents the heart of ethics, it drives the plot, and is at the very center of intertextual reference - yet, it is very difficult to grasp. After a brief definition of the term, this article analyses the link between heroism, the literary tradition, and the question of literary genre as it is evoked in canto I. In a second step, the representation of heroism as well as its comic subversion will be discussed in an overview of the text. Thirdly, and fourthly, the analytical scope is narrowed down to the heroism of Orlando and Ruggiero, the central figures of Orlando furioso. The depiction of Ruggiero as the fictitious founder of the Este-genealogy, then, raises the central question of the interaction between narrative irony and encomiastic intention. The penultimate part will introduce the context of the contemporary evolution in military technology: as this article shows, this context in fact determines the function of heroic representation.