Abstract

The encomiastic efficiency of Ariosto’s tale of Ruggiero and Bradamante in the Orlando furioso could be questioned on the grounds of inconsistency with tradition, fictionality and irony. A glance at other instances of panegyrics, notably in music, as well as an analysis of the moon scene in Ariosto’s epic (canto 35) show, however, that these techniques engender a specific brand of ambiguity that neither cancels nor overemphasizes the intended praise of the dedicatee, but serves to adjust the volume of the encomiastic discourse in order to steer clear of mere flattery. At the same time, by inscribing a specific model reader, Ippolito d’Este (who has to understand this special type of praise), into a text that was to be printed – and thus intended for a general reader – the Orlando furioso transposes part of the pragmatic hors-texte into the aesthetic structure of the poem. Hence, panegyrics can be regarded as a fine art.