Gli uomini non sono isole. Usi e abusi di un celebre adagio

The subject of the contribution is the analysis of the diCerent versions that, over the centuries, the famous adage of John Donne (“Men are not islands”) has had in our culture: continuously quoted, from Hemingway to Brexit to the recent advertising of Conad, it it has been used and re–launched to say often diCerent things, from ontological considerations to social or gnoseological considerations, activating each time a diCerent meaning of “island”, with always critical valuations but with diCerent nuances. By proposing a semiotic approach to the thematic criticism, the essay highlights how, through such a diachronic look, the characteristics and ways of functioning of the Echian encyclopedia can be clearly highlighted.