Papers by Silvia Lilli
Pasolini. Critica e Cultura. a cura di Paolo Falzone e Massimiliano Tortora. Roma: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura., 2023
Il saggio esplora le differenze e le analogie nella trattazione del mito di Oreste da parte di Pa... more Il saggio esplora le differenze e le analogie nella trattazione del mito di Oreste da parte di Pasolini e di Testori, nello specifico nelle due opere teatrali rispettivamente di "Pilade" e "sdisOrè". Mostrando come la scelta di riproporre il mito di Oreste sia il frutto di una lettura politica del dramma eschileo - anche non del tutto corretta - che accomuna gran parte delle riscritture novecentesche, e come quindi Pasolini e Testori condividano la critica alla soluzione pacificatrice eschilea, il saggio arriva quindi ad analizzare come ad un certo punto le due letture divergano, in funzione di una prospettiva razionalista e disperata, in Pasolini, e di una escatologica e salvifica, in Testori.
The essay delves into the distinctions and parallels between Pasolini's and Testori's approaches to the myth of Orestes, as depicted in their respective theatrical works, "Pilade" and "sdisOrè." It illustrates that their decision to revisit the myth stems from a political interpretation of Aeschylus's drama, which, while not entirely accurate, aligns with the broader trend of twentieth-century reinterpretations. This shared critique of Aeschylus's conciliatory resolution highlights a common ground between Pasolini and Testori. However, the essay further investigates how their interpretations eventually diverge, influenced by Pasolini's rationalist and despairing outlook, contrasted with Testori's eschatological and redemptive perspective.
Umanistica Digitale, 2023
The purpose of this study is to evaluate ChatGPT-4's language proficiency in Italian dialects. At... more The purpose of this study is to evaluate ChatGPT-4's language proficiency in Italian dialects. At the outset, it is clarified what is meant by 'language ability' within the context of Large Language Models. This involves identifying the tasks that ChatGPT might face in real-world scenarios, from which we can derive inferential assumptions regarding its linguistic ability. The skills identified, which served as foundation for test design, include comprehension and translation, dialect recognition, analysis of the distinctive features, error detection, text production, interaction, theoretical background, and self-assessment. The tests were crafted to mimic situations requiring these competencies, trying to emulate authentic ChatGPT-User interactions. The results highlight ChatGPT's excellent prowess in understanding and recognizing Italian dialects and their subvarieties, and a robust background and awareness of its own knowledge. However, the model exhibits significant gaps in analytical skills and struggles with text production and interactive tasks, suggesting superior passive linguistic capabilities compared to active ones.
Studium, 2023
Il saggio ripercorre l’esperienza teatrale di Pier Paolo Pasolini e Giovanni Testori a partire da... more Il saggio ripercorre l’esperienza teatrale di Pier Paolo Pasolini e Giovanni Testori a partire dalle dichiarazioni teoriche contenute, rispettivamente, nel Manifesto per un nuovo teatro e nello scritto Il ventre del teatro, entrambi pubblicati nel 1968. Il confronto delle posizioni assunte dai due autori, e quindi del contenuto dei drammi, mostra come al di là delle divergenze entrambi identificano nel teatro il mezzo attraverso cui il poeta può rivelare il contenuto sacro e misterioso della realtà, pure in una differente percezione di cosa la sacralità sia: verità immanente (per Pasolini) o trascendente (per Testori). Il teatro, servendosi delle tecniche di decostruzione della facoltà razionale – il mito, il sogno, il metateatro – si configura come rito comunitario, in cui il poeta tenta di guidare lo spettatore in un percorso di acquisizione di coscienza, in una riscoperta del sacro, che tuttavia, rivelandosi inconoscibile e misterioso, getta l’uomo in una tragicità insostenibile. Se Pasolini non riuscirà in vita a proporre un valore alternativo alla “distruzione” delle certezze che i suoi personaggi dichiarano – e che investe pure il senso morale del bene e del male, spingendoli ad assumere l’ambiguità del senso come unica verità –, Testori, attraverso l’esperienza privata del dolore per la morte della madre, supererà la tragicità classica della Trilogia degli scarrozzanti, per aprirsi a una prospettiva escatologica cristiana, dove l’esperienza della morte e del dolore si rivela l’unica via per ricomprendere nell’unità i poli della vita e della morte, del profano e del sacro, e dare nuovo senso alla funzione del poeta nella comunità.
In this paper I propose a comparison between Pier Paolo Pasolini’s and Giovanni Testori’s theory of drama as exposed in the programmatic essays Manifesto per un nuovo teatro and Il ventre del teatro, both published in 1968. Then, analysing the theory and the content of dramas, I show how, despite the differences, the two authors share the same idea of the function of theatre: it should be a way to bring people to the comprehension of the inner sacrality of life, hidden by the oppressive structure of society. The theatre, thanks to the techniques of the representation of dreams, myths and metatheatrical situations, can destroy the fictional surface of reality, opening to a new and deeper truth that overcomes the false truths of rationality. This path leads, yet, to a loss of certainty, that Pasolini won’t be able to overcome, leaving his characters to feel desperation and ambiguity even of moral sense; Testori, on the other hand, through the tough personal experience of his mother’s death in 1977, will find the way to accept the tragedy of life in a Christian perspective of salvation, in which also a new role for the poet can be found in the guidance of human community through the rite of theatre.
Campi immaginabili, 2022
Il saggio ripercorre la produzione teatrale di Giovanni Testori (1923-1993) mettendo in luce le c... more Il saggio ripercorre la produzione teatrale di Giovanni Testori (1923-1993) mettendo in luce le caratteristiche della sperimentazione linguistica, nella sua evoluzione nel tempo e nei suoi elementi costitutivi. A partire dalla testimonianza dei "Promessi sposi alla prova" (1984), opera in cui Testori riflette esplicitamente sui meccanismi della creazione linguistica, vengono prima descritti gli elementi costitutivi della lingua sperimentale (la componente realistica: dialetto, linguaggio popolare, modernismi; la componente letteraria: arcaismi, citazioni, aulicismi; la componente sperimentale: neoformazioni, prestiti, adattamenti), e poi la funzione che essi assumono nella poetica autoriale (funzione di abbassamento, innalzamento, straniamento del dettato) in particolare in relazione al messaggio affidato al rito teatrale.
Parole Rubate | Purloined Letters, Jun 2022
Il saggio pone a confronto il monologo teatrale "Mater Strangosciàs" (1993) di Giovanni Testori c... more Il saggio pone a confronto il monologo teatrale "Mater Strangosciàs" (1993) di Giovanni Testori con la lauda "Donna de Paradiso" di Iacopone da Todi, con l'intento di mostrare il processo di riscrittura operato da Testori sul tema tradizionale del planctus di Maria e più nello specifico con il testo iacoponico. Il confronto è condotto da un punto di vista tematico, narrativo, linguistico, stilistico, e infine teologico, interpretando il senso che la riscrittura - ancor più in quanto ultima opera composta prima della morte - assume nel percorso poetico testoriano.
Il Tolomeo, Dec 2022
In 1989 was released the cinematographic adaptation of Ennio Flaiano’s novel (1947) Tempo di ucci... more In 1989 was released the cinematographic adaptation of Ennio Flaiano’s novel (1947) Tempo di uccidere (Time to kill) directed by Giuliano Montaldo. This contribution analyses the narratological features of the two versions, showing how in the medial switch the critical sight on Italian colonialism of the novel is turned to a shallow tale where is instead enforced the traditional view of white male superiority, due to the loss of the inner focus, the misread representation of characters, and the underestimation of episodes which served in the book to undermine colonizer’s self-sight and disclose the identity crisis of the following chapters.
Talks by Silvia Lilli
Studium, 2023
Un dialogo con Giuseppe Frangi per ricordare Testori a cento anni dalla nascita.
Conference Presentations by Silvia Lilli
Is it possible to investigate creative literary language as a natural language? How can existing ... more Is it possible to investigate creative literary language as a natural language? How can existing tools in automatic textual analysis be adapted for highly inventive languages? This poster summarizes the research methodology applied in my ongoing PhD project at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata", focusing on the creative language of Giovanni Testori (1923-1993). Testori, an Italian playwright, utilized a distinctive and experimental language that combines Italian with Milanese dialect, characterized by extensive word deformation and code mixing (foreign languages or stylistic levels). The uniqueness of this language poses significant challenges for linguistic analysis, as it cannot be adequately analyzed with existing automatic linguistic tools. Nevertheless, based on the premise that each creative language, by its very nature aimed at ensuring communication, must adhere to interpretable patterns of variation and markedness, this case study has developed a replicable method applicable to other highly characterized creative languages.
Poster presented at 44th TABU Dag 2024: June 13 & 14. An international linguistics conference organised at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and LOT Summer School 2024, Leiden University, 17 to 28 June 2024.
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Papers by Silvia Lilli
The essay delves into the distinctions and parallels between Pasolini's and Testori's approaches to the myth of Orestes, as depicted in their respective theatrical works, "Pilade" and "sdisOrè." It illustrates that their decision to revisit the myth stems from a political interpretation of Aeschylus's drama, which, while not entirely accurate, aligns with the broader trend of twentieth-century reinterpretations. This shared critique of Aeschylus's conciliatory resolution highlights a common ground between Pasolini and Testori. However, the essay further investigates how their interpretations eventually diverge, influenced by Pasolini's rationalist and despairing outlook, contrasted with Testori's eschatological and redemptive perspective.
In this paper I propose a comparison between Pier Paolo Pasolini’s and Giovanni Testori’s theory of drama as exposed in the programmatic essays Manifesto per un nuovo teatro and Il ventre del teatro, both published in 1968. Then, analysing the theory and the content of dramas, I show how, despite the differences, the two authors share the same idea of the function of theatre: it should be a way to bring people to the comprehension of the inner sacrality of life, hidden by the oppressive structure of society. The theatre, thanks to the techniques of the representation of dreams, myths and metatheatrical situations, can destroy the fictional surface of reality, opening to a new and deeper truth that overcomes the false truths of rationality. This path leads, yet, to a loss of certainty, that Pasolini won’t be able to overcome, leaving his characters to feel desperation and ambiguity even of moral sense; Testori, on the other hand, through the tough personal experience of his mother’s death in 1977, will find the way to accept the tragedy of life in a Christian perspective of salvation, in which also a new role for the poet can be found in the guidance of human community through the rite of theatre.
Talks by Silvia Lilli
Conference Presentations by Silvia Lilli
Poster presented at 44th TABU Dag 2024: June 13 & 14. An international linguistics conference organised at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and LOT Summer School 2024, Leiden University, 17 to 28 June 2024.
The essay delves into the distinctions and parallels between Pasolini's and Testori's approaches to the myth of Orestes, as depicted in their respective theatrical works, "Pilade" and "sdisOrè." It illustrates that their decision to revisit the myth stems from a political interpretation of Aeschylus's drama, which, while not entirely accurate, aligns with the broader trend of twentieth-century reinterpretations. This shared critique of Aeschylus's conciliatory resolution highlights a common ground between Pasolini and Testori. However, the essay further investigates how their interpretations eventually diverge, influenced by Pasolini's rationalist and despairing outlook, contrasted with Testori's eschatological and redemptive perspective.
In this paper I propose a comparison between Pier Paolo Pasolini’s and Giovanni Testori’s theory of drama as exposed in the programmatic essays Manifesto per un nuovo teatro and Il ventre del teatro, both published in 1968. Then, analysing the theory and the content of dramas, I show how, despite the differences, the two authors share the same idea of the function of theatre: it should be a way to bring people to the comprehension of the inner sacrality of life, hidden by the oppressive structure of society. The theatre, thanks to the techniques of the representation of dreams, myths and metatheatrical situations, can destroy the fictional surface of reality, opening to a new and deeper truth that overcomes the false truths of rationality. This path leads, yet, to a loss of certainty, that Pasolini won’t be able to overcome, leaving his characters to feel desperation and ambiguity even of moral sense; Testori, on the other hand, through the tough personal experience of his mother’s death in 1977, will find the way to accept the tragedy of life in a Christian perspective of salvation, in which also a new role for the poet can be found in the guidance of human community through the rite of theatre.
Poster presented at 44th TABU Dag 2024: June 13 & 14. An international linguistics conference organised at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and LOT Summer School 2024, Leiden University, 17 to 28 June 2024.