Il laboratorio redazionale dell’Ottonieri: un crocevia filologico tra le carte leopardiane

The essay investigates the making of I Detti memorabili di Filippo Ottonieri, one of the Operette morali, written by Leopardi in 1824. The analysis moves from the study of three important notes written by Leopardi in preparation to the composition: an index with 58 cross references to the Zibaldone, known as the Danno del conoscere la propria età; and two lesser and shorter notes. Object of the study is first of all Leopardi’s arrangement of his reflexions, the encounter of ancient and contemporary sources in the writing of his text, but also the intertextual connections between the Zibaldone and the Ottonieri: the author wishes to encourage a reappraisal of a text, the Ottonieri, which has often been judged rather negatively.