Conceptualizing Early Modern Metropolitan Space in Giovan Battista della Porta’s Comedy "Tabernaria" (1616). The Osteria del Cerriglio in Naples

Résumé

This contribution examines a particular instance in which two different ways of perceiving metropolitan space in 17th century Naples (espace véçu and espace conçu) become imbricated in the mode of comedy. Tabernaria stages not merely the place of the Osteria del Cerriglio, a historic urban site; through a characteristic mise en abîme, this scenic re-creation is doubled or mirrored in a theatrical place which only pretends to be the Cerriglio. Likewise, and again typical for this narrative strategy, the staged play itself is doubled by the ruse enacted by some of the personae for (or rather: against) other personae onstage. The audiences may then enjoy this oblique representation of a very real metropolitan space and its labyrinthine pitfalls, from a safe distance. 

Keywords: Naples, theater and space, espace véçu, espace conçu, Baratta map