Recommending Gray in nineteenth century Italy: a Leghorn edition of the italian translations of the elegy

DONGU, MARIA GRAZIA

2010-01-01

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Abstract

The article discusses Gray's reception in nineteenth century Italy. André Lefevere noticed that translators, patrons, printers, editors and reviewers were responsible for the construction and popularisation of the literary canon. A reader has access to it, thanks to carefully-planned editions, whose paratext, epitext, peritext is most influential in orienting him. Thanks to titles, prefaces, acknowledgments, epigraphs and so on, the editor authorises and divulges an interpretation of the text which does not conflict with widely-accepted values in his country and his milieu. Along this same line, the article analyses paratext, peritext and epitext in a Leghorn edition of the Italian translations of the most celebrated poem by Thomas Gray.