The golden flower of youth: baroque metaphors in Nonnus and Marino
2013; Oxford University Press; Volume: 6; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/crj/clt029
ISSN1759-5142
Autores Tópico(s)Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
ResumoNonnus of Panopolis’ mythological epic Dionysiaca on the god Dionysus (fifth-century CE) is often characterized as ‘baroque’. This term poses a problem: whether as a historical term referring to the European seventeenth century or as a typological category applicable to other periods of time, it is much debated. With regard to the Dionysiaca it is nearly always applied rather intuitively. To clarify its use, I propose a comparison between a passage of the Dionysiaca and a passage of the Adone by the seventeenth-century baroque poet Giambattista Marino. I shall focus on one literary device in particular: poetic metaphor, a distinctive feature of seventeenth-century baroque poetry. Following some preliminary remarks on the use of the term ‘baroque’, I present a short introduction on Nonnus and Marino and on baroque metaphor. I then offer some tools for analysis, followed by a detailed discussion of the description of two beautiful satyr boys: Nonnus’ Ampelus and Marino’s Pampino. Both poets are very fond of metaphors. Close on the conceptual level, but different in linguistic expression, their metaphors achieve a similar effect, expressing change, instability, illusion, and metamorphosis — typically baroque preoccupations. When used to analyse and compare a creative principle, the term ‘baroque’ can be a stimulus for intertextual research.
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