Abstract

This paper investigates the language and style of Giacomo Puccini’s correspondence (1877-1924). Puccini’s letters are written in both prose and verse and demonstrate great stylistic variation, ranging from the formal register of official letters to the colloquial, often irreverent and salacious tone of his correspondence with friends and family. Sections 1 and 3 examine this variation, paying special attention to neologisms, puns and rhetorical figures typical of verbal humour. Section 2 is focused on Puccini’s use of dialect, analysing the most relevant phonological, morphological and lexical characteristics of the dialect from Lucca which emerge throughout the correspondence.