Historia, poetica soluta ? Théorie des genres et analyse des notions stylistiques de l'Actius de G. Pontano.

Details

Supervisors

Smeesters, Aline

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres anciennes, orientation classiques, à finalité didactique

Abstract

enThis work aims to study the Actius, a prose dialogue written by the Neapolitan humanist Giovanni Gioviano Pontano, which marks the emergence of ars historica at the dawn of modernity. The central focus lies in defining the role and nature of history, which Pontano describes as “poetry in prose” (poetica soluta). The study is structured around three complementary parts: a transcription of the Latin text from the 1507 edition, a personal translation, and a commentary. The latter includes an overview of 15th- and 16th-century historiography, alongside a comprehensive stylistic analysis of the rhetorical concepts employed by Pontano. The argumentation demonstrates that this poetic identity is rooted first and foremost in humanity’s innate desire to immortalise its deeds, rescuing them from oblivion. By aligning itself with the demonstrative and deliberative genres, history embraces the classical aims of eloquence—to instruct, to please, to move, and to be useful—while elevating itself above the mere dryness of legal discourse. The work also emphasises the importance of decorum: whereas poetry may indulge in more elaborate embellishments, history adheres to a more restrained style. The historical genre is, moreover, composed of two key elements: res (the subject matter) and verba (the words). The proper organisation of the former and the arrangement of the latter, combined with the historian’s role as judge, are what enable the genre to achieve its ideal of truth. Technically, the study analyses oratio numerosa—periodic prose that lends the narrative a musicality akin to verse without its rigid constraints. Cardinal virtues such as varietas (variety), Sallustian brevitas (brevity), and celeritas (speed) are explored as essential remedies against tedium. Additionally, the work examines hypotyposis and prosopopoeia, figures that enliven the narrative by placing events directly “before the reader’s eyes.” In conclusion, history, through the harmonious fusion of poetic refinement and oratorical commitment, stands as an enduring literary monument, capable of transcending mortality through the splendour of its style and the moral authority of its testimony.