The Satyricon of Petronius: genre, wandering and style

Abstract

Da Introdução: The studies of Petronius presented in this book discuss three different perspectives that, despite being independent, aim at giving a general approach to the Satyricon. The first chapter explores the relation between the novel and Menippean satire: basing itself on the evolution, from Renaissance to modern times, of the various theories of Menippean genre and mode, it seeks to prove that, according to the theory of modern satire, the title of Varro’s Saturae Menippeae may be understood as an expression of genre, and also that Petronius tried to adapt some Menippean generic features to his own work. The second chapter argues that the relationship of the anti-heroes of the Satyricon with the surrounding world is developed within a system of wandering, marked by constant escapes and immanent demands. However, this random and erratic movement does not prevent the anti-heroes from coming into contact with cohesive and intrinsically consistent systems. Among these systems are especially highlighted the Cena Trimalchionis and the city of Croton, an urban space that also configures a dystopia. The last chapter focuses primarily on the characters of Giton and Eumolpos, who are two of the most curious Petronian inventions. The analysis of their behaviour and style provides us with a clarifying example of the care taken by Petronius in the construction of the main characters of the Satyricon and of the different levels of reading that he intentionally created, through the confluence in a single character of multiple lines deriving from literary and cultural tradition.