This article examines the development and use of the congedo, a strophe of closure, as a formal structure in the medieval Italian canzone. A historical overview traces its increasingly frequent adoption, from sparse usage by the love poets of Sicily to a regular structural presence in the canzoni of the communal poets, whose broader thematic range included the political and topical. The essay argues that the congedo's standard formulation as an apostrophe from poet to public was especially suited to the new subject-matter of political exile, permitting authors to make themselves rhetorically present to audiences they could no longer physically reach. Analysis of several selected canzoni from the second half of the Duecento explores a broad range of performative positions adopted by exile speakers in their congedi, and shows the transformative effect that the closing stanza can exert on the overall interpretation of the lyric as a whole. © 2009 Maney Publishing.

Exile Re Enzo Lyric poetry Guittone d'Arezzo Congedo Dante alighieri

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