Dolce Stil Novo

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Dolce Stil Novo (Italian for 'The Sweet New Style') is the name given to the most important literary movement of 13th century Italy. Influenced by both Sicilian and Tuscan poetry, its main theme is Love (Amore). Gentilezza and Amore are indeed topoi in the major works of the period.

Compared to its precursors, the poetry we find in the Dolce Stil Novo is superior in quality and more intellectual: a more refined poetry with rampant use of metaphors and symbolism, as well as subtle double meanings. The adoration of the female beauty is explicitly portrayed by the Dolce Stil Novo poet, who frequently delves into deep introspection. In fact it has been argued by many literary critics that introspection in Italian literary works was first introduced by the Stil Novo poets, and later developed by Francesco Petrarca.

Poetry from this school is also full of vivid descriptions of female beauty, frequently comparing the desired woman to a creature from paradise. The woman is described as an 'angel' or as 'a bridge to God'. Rather than being material in nature, the 'Love' of the Dolce Stil Novo is a sort of 'Divine Love'.

The two main concepts (introspection and love) are thus brought together as the poet enters his interior world to express his most inner feelings which are caused by an excessively divine female beauty.

The first expression of this style of writing is credited to Guido Guinizzelli and his poem Al cor gentil repara sempre amore, whereas the major exponent of this school of poetry was Dante Alighieri, who is most famous for his Divina Commedia.

The importance of the Dolce Stil Novo lies in the fact that apart from being the manifestation of the first true literary tradition in Italy, it nobilitated the Tuscan vernacular, which was soon destined to become the Italian national language.