Il predicatore recita e il fedele traspone. Carlo Goldoni e i sonetti del «Quaresimale in epilogo»

The poetic compositions of Goldoni have been neglected for their smaller impact in comparison with his theatrical production. Some early compositions, analyzed here for the first time, are nevertheless interesting since they represent an unusual form of religious poetry. Goldoni transposed into verses some Lenten sermons preached in Udine in 1726. We have been able to find out at least one of the original sermons texts the author listened to. The comparison with the transposition in verse shows how the young Goldoni experimented, also in his formal choices, a poetic language that draws on sources of XVI and XVII centuries and that will be reused in seventeenth-century drama in verse. It also testifies the important connections between literature and preaching in Italian Modern Age and the role played by the preachers in the history of Italian language.