California Italian Studies

This article suggests a new interpretation of the novel Successi di Eumolpione (Naples, 1678) previously considered a simple translation of the Satyricon of Petronius. Instead, the Successi di Eumolpione is a sophisticated roman à clé which hides several references to the Neapolitan society of the 1670s. In particular, the Successi di Eumolpione must be read in the frame of the dispute between its dedicatee, Giovan Giacomo Lavagna, and the group of the Investiganti (namely, Leonardo Di Capua). Moreover, the novel seems to be not only a satire against the Investiganti but also a satire of the Satyricon itself.