Barcarolle — a cultural topos of Venice of the 19th century

Abstract

The commitment of the topos to the definition of certain territories determines how this concept functions within the framework of culture. The study of the specifics of the formation of the Venetian topos of the 19^th century cannot be interpreted without recourse to the socio-cultural context of the era. In the history of Serenissima, this is a period marked by the development of interest in its cultural and historical heritage, which was facilitated by the practices of the Grand Tour and the development of musical culture in Europe. In the 19th century, Venice was in a state of political decline. In view of this, it was necessary for the fading city to develop a kind of “souvenir”, which would stimulate those who got acquainted with it to join the spirit of the city through such a product, especially after leaving the territory of the lagoon. In our interpretation, barcarolle represents this souvenir. This paper attempts to consider barcarolle as a cultural topos of Venice, the crystallization of which ended in the XIX century. The analysis of the image of a place formed in the minds of Europeans as a result of fixing impressions and analyzing personal experiences correlating with the territory occupies the central place of the present paper.