A Mock Old Norse Poem in Eighteenth-Century Milan: Francesco Saverio Quadrio’s Versi in lingua runica

In 1751 Quadrio published his Versi in lingua runica (Verses in the Runic language) as part of a collection of comic poetry edited by Pietro Verri. Quadrio is the author of an extensive history of universal literature (1739-52), which gave him the opportunity to acquire some knowledge of the Old Norse culture, reflected in his ‘Runic’ verses. The text consists of a meaningless poem composed of various single Old Norse words, and of a commentary which combines authentic information on Old Norse culture with the author’s personal creations in order to build a network of historical, literary, and... Mehr ...