20 Anecdotes and Rhetorical-Lexical Structures in Plutarch, Valerius Maximus, and Polyaenus
In: Plutarch and his ContemporariesSearch for other papers by Serena Citro in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
The Plutarchan book Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata, the anecdotal collection Facta et dicta memorabilia by Valerius Maximus, and Polyaenus’ book Strategemata show striking connections and affinities. For instance, in the preface to these anecdotal books, all of the authors dedicate their works to a Roman emperor, Trajan in Plutarch, Tiberius in Valerius Maximus, and the co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in Polyaenus. In addition, in these preliminary sections there is a significant analogy of purpose regarding the composition of the collections: all provide concisely narrated patterns and paradigms of behavior that are drawn from ancient history and are meant to serve as useful models, especially to those engaged in military or political activity, who have little time to spend on reading.
In this paper the analysis will focus on a comparison of two anecdotes: the first, regarding Scipio Africanus, is cited by Plutarch, Valerius Maximus, and Polyaenus; the second, cited both by Plutarch and Valerius Maximus, deals with Peisistratus. The same anecdote is cited with some variants that at times appear not very relevant, but at other times are significant. This comparison allows us to consider the specificity of the Plutarchan style and technique of composition compared to the other two authors. The investigation will be based both on a lexical study of the anecdotes and on an analysis of the rhetorical devices adopted, in order to bring out how the rhetorical-stylistic choices almost never have a simple ornamental purpose, but help draw the reader’s attention to a specific ethical pattern.