«Quadrati a profondità ritmiche»: The Oral Dimension as an Interpretative Key to Amelia Rosselli’s «Spazi metrici»

Abstract

In the Italian landscape, Amelia Rosselli stands out among the key poetic figures of 20th-century both for her intricate poetic experimentalism and for her ability to blend words and voice into a fluid language. This study seeks to explore new avenues for examining the formal aspects of Rosselli’s work – particularly her use of meter, music, and prosody. Central to this investigation is a re-examination of her seminal essay, Spazi metrici, informed by data derived from a corpus of eight original recordings of Rosselli herself. These recordings are analyzed prosodically using the methodology of the Voices of Italian Poets project. The interdisciplinary approach taken here enables a correlation between the prosodic and textual dimensions of Spazi metrici, while also capturing the distinct features of Rosselli’s experimental modus legendi. Through this analysis, a comprehensive system is outlined, revealing a holistic poetic space where multiple dimensions of language converge. This integrated view highlights the underlying regularity and complexity of Rosselli’s poetic architecture, offering new insights into her work.