La Francesca e il tristanismo tra Otto e Novecento

The influence of Wagner and his Tristan und Isolde on Francesca's work is unquestioned and has been object of previous studies. This paper aims to investigate the tristanism which underlies the work and in particular the pièce of Gabriele D'Annunzio that provides the ground for the libretto of Tito Ricordi. This paper also aims to shed some light - through simple scraps, simplifications and overlaps - on the medievalist path undertaken by these two authors in the complex Italian cultural scene of the end of the XIXth century /early XXth. Particular attention is dedicated to the "kissing scene", which plays a crucial role in understanding the intertextual links between modern opera and medieval arthurian models.