Il caleidoscopio epistolare: controfigure d'autore nella "Nouvelle Héloïse" di Rousseau e nell'"Ortis" foscoliano

The article investigates the encounter of the categories of epistolary novel with autobiography in Rousseau’s Nouvelle Héloïse and Foscolo’s Ortis. The aim is to prove that, even though the epistolary novel seems to provide the instruments to build a polyphonic discourse, most of these novels eventually represent, through the first person singular, the personal worldview of the author and some aspects of his personality. Whether Rousseau exploits the dialogue of the different characters of his novel to create a debate around his own personal philosophy, Foscolo, through the characters of Jacopo Ortis and Lorenzo, represents his young self.