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Venanzio Fortunato e la rappresentazione di sé: tra modestia retorica e realismo comico

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Abstract

In the carmina Venantius Fortunatus often represents himself with characteristics that fall within the topic of modesty, but sometimes he also resorts to unusual and delicate images. In many places, sometimes with irony, he represents himself in situations of difficulty, danger or illness. In some surprising representations, with realistic features and tones between the serious and the comical, the poet portrays himself in unpleasant and embarrassing conditions determined by his food excesses. The image of Venantius Fortunatus that emerges from the carmina shows rhetorical characters, but also absolutely unprecedented and unconventional traits, which perhaps reflect aspects of his authentic humanity.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: June 19, 2025 | Accepted: July 20, 2025 | Published Jan. 21, 2026 | Language: it

Keywords Realism • Venantius Fortunatus • Self-representation • Praise poetry • Modesty

Copyright © 2026 Ornella Fuoco. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


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