Witticism, calembour and pompierate: Onimic puns in Luigi Coppola's writings in the "Fanfulla"

Abstract

Between 1870 and 1881, the newspaper “Fanfulla” boasted the collaboration of a well-known author, Luigi Coppola from Naples, who had already worked with other newspapers and had an impressive literary portfolio. Under the pseudonym Il Pompiere, Coppola gained nationwide fame for his theatrical criticism articles, which showcased his unique writing style characterized by a constant use of puns and witticisms. His original approach to writing became so closely associated with his pseudonym that the term “pompierata” (as it was documented in dictionaries) became synonymous with “calembour” or pun. In particular, Il Pompiere exhibited exceptional skill in creating humorous puns by playing with the names and surnames of the actors, singers, composers, dancers, and musicians who starred in the plays he reviewed for “Fanfulla.” This study, though concise due to the abundance of examples, showcases the remarkable variety of his ability to generate original wordplay and puns, which significantly enriched the humorous repertoire of literature, theater, and cinema in the twentieth century.