After the murky affaire with the wife of the doux Isaac in Thessaly, Carmina Iliaca are Tzetzes’ first attempt to find employment as a teacher in Constantinople. Hence, it is fruitful to consider this hexametric poem as an erudite self-advertising which, eventually, led Tzetzes to be held in high consideration as scholar by the Constantinopolitan aristocratic families. The young Tzetzes conceived his Mikromegˆlh >Iliˆc as the effective evidence of his rhetorical, poetical and didactic skills. Under the guidance of the scholia and of the teacher in the flesh, the students would gradually acquire all the knowledge compulsory for learned adultescent citizens. The order and the difficulty of notions follow an authorial outline which can be explained in the context of Tzetzes’ contemporary educative methods. Rhetoric, astrological, mythological and metric explanations long to offer a basic but comprehensive knowledge and, thus, Tzetzes vies to be considered the best in the business. In addition, the ambitious scholar wants to show himself off as a groundbreaking innovator of Psellian allegorical approach towards Homer. Carmina Iliaca already offer practical and illustrative specimina of the author’s allegorical categories as described and employed in the slightly later Exegesis Iliadis. The Carmina likely weren’t a proper schoolbook, but their purpose was to promote the method which would be indeed used by the teacher for classes. Moreover, the second Homeric work is nothing more than the prose fulfilment and enhancement of the thematic Leitmotive recurring in the scholia to the poem. Therefore, the content of the verses is conformed to Exegesis’ objectives and public and, for this reason, the allegorical methodology of the latter should be confronted and applied to the Μικρομεγάλη Ἰλιάς. This cross-drive analysis is decisive to understand Tzetzes’ didactic program in the years ’30-’40 of the XI Century and its crucial importance in Byzantine Homeric allegory. This paper finally evaluates Tzetzes’ aware expertise of both poetical technique and pedagogical methods. Given the author’s acquaintance with Homeric language and subjects, the aristocratic appreciation towards his erudition isn’t surprising. It is noteworthy that, at his time, he could successfully support his practical working purposes with a secure artistic ability in hexametric composition. Despite undeniably being of all trades, John Tzetzes definitively was not a master of none.

John of All Trades : Carmina Iliaca and Tzetzes’ Didactic Program / U.C.L. Mondini. ((Intervento presentato al convegno Tzetzes : An International Conference tenutosi a Venezia nel 2018.

John of All Trades : Carmina Iliaca and Tzetzes’ Didactic Program

U.C.L. Mondini
2018

Abstract

After the murky affaire with the wife of the doux Isaac in Thessaly, Carmina Iliaca are Tzetzes’ first attempt to find employment as a teacher in Constantinople. Hence, it is fruitful to consider this hexametric poem as an erudite self-advertising which, eventually, led Tzetzes to be held in high consideration as scholar by the Constantinopolitan aristocratic families. The young Tzetzes conceived his Mikromegˆlh >Iliˆc as the effective evidence of his rhetorical, poetical and didactic skills. Under the guidance of the scholia and of the teacher in the flesh, the students would gradually acquire all the knowledge compulsory for learned adultescent citizens. The order and the difficulty of notions follow an authorial outline which can be explained in the context of Tzetzes’ contemporary educative methods. Rhetoric, astrological, mythological and metric explanations long to offer a basic but comprehensive knowledge and, thus, Tzetzes vies to be considered the best in the business. In addition, the ambitious scholar wants to show himself off as a groundbreaking innovator of Psellian allegorical approach towards Homer. Carmina Iliaca already offer practical and illustrative specimina of the author’s allegorical categories as described and employed in the slightly later Exegesis Iliadis. The Carmina likely weren’t a proper schoolbook, but their purpose was to promote the method which would be indeed used by the teacher for classes. Moreover, the second Homeric work is nothing more than the prose fulfilment and enhancement of the thematic Leitmotive recurring in the scholia to the poem. Therefore, the content of the verses is conformed to Exegesis’ objectives and public and, for this reason, the allegorical methodology of the latter should be confronted and applied to the Μικρομεγάλη Ἰλιάς. This cross-drive analysis is decisive to understand Tzetzes’ didactic program in the years ’30-’40 of the XI Century and its crucial importance in Byzantine Homeric allegory. This paper finally evaluates Tzetzes’ aware expertise of both poetical technique and pedagogical methods. Given the author’s acquaintance with Homeric language and subjects, the aristocratic appreciation towards his erudition isn’t surprising. It is noteworthy that, at his time, he could successfully support his practical working purposes with a secure artistic ability in hexametric composition. Despite undeniably being of all trades, John Tzetzes definitively was not a master of none.
7-set-2018
Settore L-FIL-LET/02 - Lingua e Letteratura Greca
Settore L-FIL-LET/07 - Civilta' Bizantina
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
https://static.unive.it/server/eventi/19883/Prodi%2007-2018.pdf
John of All Trades : Carmina Iliaca and Tzetzes’ Didactic Program / U.C.L. Mondini. ((Intervento presentato al convegno Tzetzes : An International Conference tenutosi a Venezia nel 2018.
Conference Object
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/636800
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact