Declamationes Seneki Retora w "Gesta Romanorum" - tekst antyczny w średniowiecznej wersji

Abstract

Declamationes by Seneca Rhetor in Gesta Romanorum. The medieval version of an ancient text

The article presents an adaptation of a dozen or so rhetorical subjects of Seneca Rhetor, that were located in L. Annaei Senecae Oratorum et rhetorum sententiae divisiones colores. Those texts are included in a collection of exemplas compiled from different sources. The exemplas are known as Gesta Romanorum. An anonymous medieval author or authors of the collection made numerous alterations of Seneca’s text. First of all, each presented event was equipped with an ending which is an important novelty towards the original. All cases are enriched with a set of information, which allowed the author to stress the exceptional character of presented events and heroes that take part in them. One can consider it as an attempt to christianize pagan Seneca. On the other hand it builds up a picture of a medieval society, shown with great reverence. When adapting ancient texts, the medieval author made no attempts to distort them, therefore Seneca’s work remained fully recognizable.