The Poetics of Disguise. The Autobiography of the Work in Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. Translated by Ann Dunnigan.

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Schutzumschlag etwas abgenutzt, Einband leicht berieben, insgesamt etwas vergilbt, allgemein guter Zustand / Dust jacket a bit worn, binding slightly rubbed, overall a bit yellowed, generally good condition. - Writers such as Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare would never have regarded the experience of a creative crisis as a sign of noblesse d'esprit. When they reached an impasse in their attempts to seize and represent reality, they sought to disguise it. "The phenomenon of disguise occurs at the most delicate moment of the author�s work-in-progress,� writes Franco Ferrucci, �and the critic is privileged to discover its motivations and structure. In fact, even when masked, the crisis manifests itself through signs and symptoms that are woven into the texture of the work, enhancing the richness and complexity of meaning. It is this weaving that I have called the autobiography of the work.� Translated from the Italian by Ann Dunnigan, Ferrucci�s Poetics of Disguise examines and interprets significant reflexive moments in four literary masterpieces. Ferrucci devotes his first two chapters to a discussion of Homer�s Iliad and Odyssey, his third and fourth chapters to Dante�s Divine Comedy, and his fifth to Shakespeare�s Macbeth. In the final chapter, Ferrucci expands his definition of the autobiography of the work, discussing the complex and subtle interplay between the artist�s desire to capture reality and his need to deal with his literary heritage. This lively work of criticism will interest anyone concerned with the creative process.