Un prosimetro a tema religioso: il Trattato d’una angelica cosa mostrata per una divotissima visione di Giovanni Gherardi da Prato Il Trattato d’una angelica cosa mostrata per una divotissima visione di Giovanni Gherardi da Prato

Abstract

This paper examines Giovanni Gherardi da Prato’s Trattato d’una angelica cosa mostrata per una divotissima visione dating to the early 15th century. The work’s structure is analysed in relation to its predecessors such as Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae and Boccaccio’s Ameto and Amorosa Visione. Gherardi takes these as models to achieve a rigorously structured alternation of prose and verses, which represents an original contribution to the tradition. The adoption of the prosimetrum by the author is consonant with the organisation of the philosophical and theological materials forming the moral core of the Trattato. This essay sheds light on the convergence of diverse discursive styles within the text, including visionary tale, prayer, and doctrinal prose.