„Siamo qui per dare spettacolo.“ Die (De-)Konstruktion des Welttheater-Topos im Romanwerk Ermanno Cavazzonis

Abstract

The present article addresses the topos of world theater in the novels of the contemporary Italian author Ermanno Cavazzoni. The different functions taken into account by the topos are highlighted by means of a narratological analysis of the novels Il poema dei lunatici and Cirenaica. On the one hand, the symbol of life presented as a play exposes the madness of the main characters; on the other hand, the article shows that the topos reflects the question about the origin and meaning of human life. According to his poetic of ambivalence, the author gives only vague answers to these questions. Cavazzoni combines pagan and Christian creation myths, building a polysemic syncretism, which is deliberately exposed as a construct. As a conclusion, it is pointed out that the simultaneous deconstruction and construction of the topos of world theater redefines the role of the reader, challenging him to participate actively.