The sense of the end. Arsura, Urbs Incensa

Abstract

There is a complex and controversial relationship between the ideas of the end and of sense. This is evident in the Latin word finis, which presents numerous semantic meanings lacking in other Indo-European languages. In fact, finis means border, limit, end, achievement, goal, finality, purpose, just to mention a few. This polysemanticity is kept in Italian and is shaped around two crucial meanings. On one hand, it means end and ruin, whereas, on the other, implies result, achievement, aim. Furthermore the Italian word has been enriched by the adjective fine, which has acquired several meanings even in Ethics and Aesthetics. This contribution explores this conceptual field from a semiotics perspective, analyzing the Western imagery of the burning city in art history and in the artistic literature. The essay points out the visibility of fire action and its effects, from the flaring up of flames to the residual ash.