Italian epics, women in

Abstract

The ‘medieval epic’ in Italian tradition encompasses a range of forms in verse and prose. These derive from both classical and vernacular origins: the classical works from reworkings in the vernacular as well as from Latin originals (sometimes excerpted). Vernacular works, especially in Old French, not only retell classical stories (the ‘Matter of Rome’) but also Arthurian legends (‘Matter of Britain’) and the lineage of Charlemagne and his court (‘Matter of France’). This last, in turn, widely popular in what is now Italy, developed extensive continuations, sequels and prequels. All of these together produced a unique series of texts in which women play roles related to those in the original works but further expanded in unique creations including ‘warrior women’ or ‘viragos’ that may reflect particular historical and cultural anxieties in the Italian peninsula. These epic productions lead, at the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth centuries – the Renaissance, or pre-modern to early modern period – to a renowned literary masterpiece, Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso.