The bard of love: Memory and antiquity in Petrarch

Abstract

Departing from Aulus Gellius’ concept of ‘classicus’, the article explores the intersection of this term with others, such as ‘exemplary’, ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’, while focusing on the classical hallmark of Petrarch’s oeuvre and on his relationship with classical authors, notably the Latin authors. It is precisely the figure of Petrarch, whose evocative lyrics have been a centuries-old source of inspiration, extending as far as Zanzotto in the 20th century, that warrants the introduction of the ‘ancient versus modern’ dichotomy. This has been subject to various interpretations over the centuries, with particular reference to the Fathers of the Church and to Humanism, the central perspective of renewal and research, which – while not being exempt from paradoxes and incongruities – encases the origins of ‘modern culture’ and modernity, by virtue of its emphasis on the study of the humanae litterae and on the concept of human perfectibility.