Abstract

This contribution outlines D'Arco Silvio Avalle's research in the field of semiology, starting from his outstanding essays on Eugenio Montale (the sonnet Gli orecchini) and Dante (the legend of Ulysses' death), which can be both considered as the result of his extraordinary philological competence. Avalle was inspired by Ferdinand de Saussure's conception of the linguistic sign and mythological character, and mainly focused on the problem of myth in literary texts by pointing out the influence exercised by tradition in the wide system of cultural signs.