The cuckoo and the nightingales: Carducci, his circle, and Le «risorse» di San Miniato

Abstract

During the thirty-year period 1882-1910, the “carduccian circle” commented on several occasions on the ornithological errors committed by Carducci in Le «risorse» di San Miniato and in some of his poems. This article aims to trace the history of this particular critical approach, which also involves important poetic statements, such as Pascoli’s Il Sabato and Montale’s «Upupa, ilare uccello calunniato».