Foscolo’s own words in the Preface to his Italian translation of Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey point out , among other things, the hero’s eccentric individuality as well as his sensibility. The essay aims at being a scrutiny of the language of the nervous system which is in point of fact the foundation upon which the discourse of sensibility is built (Hume and Priestley secularized the soul, as it were, but it was Thomas Willis who, in the seventeenth century, actually pioneered the study of the human brain as networks of neurons trading signals). There is no denying that ‘vibrations’ are the basic element of experience for Yorick and that his body is ‘eloquent’. So the first point of discussion is the notion of the mind as a physiological theatre. Secondly, the genetic analogy of culture as biological mechanism, which applies almost literally, for instance, when Yorick’s encounters are ‘sympathetic infections’ or transmissions of memes (a term coined by Dawkins: in evolutionary terms, a human being is ‘embodied information’). Thirdly, the political and societal implications of all this will be considered, together with the significant stretch of time separating the publication of Sterne’s original book and the issue of Foscolo’s Italian translation.
Sterne and Foscolo: The Ironic Sovereignty of the Individual
CANAVESI, ANGELO
2010-01-01
Abstract
Foscolo’s own words in the Preface to his Italian translation of Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey point out , among other things, the hero’s eccentric individuality as well as his sensibility. The essay aims at being a scrutiny of the language of the nervous system which is in point of fact the foundation upon which the discourse of sensibility is built (Hume and Priestley secularized the soul, as it were, but it was Thomas Willis who, in the seventeenth century, actually pioneered the study of the human brain as networks of neurons trading signals). There is no denying that ‘vibrations’ are the basic element of experience for Yorick and that his body is ‘eloquent’. So the first point of discussion is the notion of the mind as a physiological theatre. Secondly, the genetic analogy of culture as biological mechanism, which applies almost literally, for instance, when Yorick’s encounters are ‘sympathetic infections’ or transmissions of memes (a term coined by Dawkins: in evolutionary terms, a human being is ‘embodied information’). Thirdly, the political and societal implications of all this will be considered, together with the significant stretch of time separating the publication of Sterne’s original book and the issue of Foscolo’s Italian translation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
