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Esempi animali e pietas filiale nella Dictio 17 di Ennodio
- Author(s):
- Amedeo Raschieri (see profile)
- Date:
- 2022
- Group(s):
- Classical Philology and Linguistics
- Subject(s):
- Latin literature, Christian literature
- Item Type:
- Article
- Tag(s):
- declamation, eagle, Ennodius, wolf
- Permanent URL:
- https://doi.org/10.17613/60tk-v718
- Abstract:
- The Dictio 17 (= 239 Vogel) of Ennodius is a controuersia in which the declamator speaks against a son who did not provide for the care of his aged father and thus procured his death. The argument is reinforced by examples of animals – eagles and wolves – who, unlike the defendant, take care of their parents. In the example of the eagles, Ennodius exploits a theme that is widespread in the biblical exegetical tradition; in particular, he demonstrates close consonances with the version of this motif found in Paulinus of Nola (Carm. 24 Hartel). The example of wolves is more obscure; these animals are usually characterized by ferocity and rapacity, whereas in this case they show a singular benevolence towards their parents. Here again I propose some biblical precedents that may have influenced their positive description in this controuersia. We must avoid an interpretation of Dictio 17 in a purely allegorical key, but the choice of these animal examples, connoted in a strongly Christian way, allows us to identify several interpretative levels, rhetorical, moral, and spiritual.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 7 months ago
- License:
- Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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acme-2022-1-raschieri.pdf