Zwischen "Cuccagna" und "Carnilivari": epische Schlaraffenlanderoberungen und stabilisierende Karnevalsdiskurse in der sizilianischen "Cuccagna Conquistata" von Giuseppe Della Montagna

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the representation of the mythical “Battle between Carnival and Lent” in the mock-heroic poem La Cuccagna Conquistata of Giuseppe Della Montagna and its connections with the actual rites performed throughout Carnival in Palermo during the 17th Century. The exploitation of the myth of Cuccagna (Cockaigne) in relation to the representation of a Sicilian wedding and in relation to the development of the battle between Carnilivari (Carnival) and Marzu (Lent) is also examined. The analysis shows that the author was not interested in spreading progressive ideas and proposals for social reform. On the contrary he composed a mock-heroic poem, which reaffirms the immanence and the ineluctability of the carnivalesque calendar.