Valerius Maximus' exempla collection, Facta et dicta memorabilia, has for a long time stayed out of focus of modern literary science. Viewed rather as a practical handbook for orators, it had earned criticism for its allegedly low literary value, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Although this view was later revised at least to some extent, and Valerius was admitted to have literary ambitions in so far that his work was characterized as an original literary achievement of an author who in his collection presented a summary of moral values and standards of his time, the interest in his work has stayed rather fragmented, with researchers preferring to analyze only its specific aspects (such as ethics, religion, historical reflection, etc.). This thesis aims for a comprehensive view of Valerius' collection as a whole against the analysis of theoretical interpretation of exemplum as preserved within the Roman theoretical rhetorical writings. The interpretation is performed by the analysis of the whole, examining the way the entire collection is arranged, through the description of the structure and division of individual chapters, down to the level of the core structural unit, the exemplum. It emphasizes information related to the work's focus or to the inclusion of specific topics that Valerius...

Cette étude est née de l’observation d’un décalage entre d’une part, l’êthos que l’on fabrique à Plutarque à la Renaissance et, d’autre part, les usages que l’on en fait : si Plutarque est considéré comme un auteur moral, voire moralisateur, comme une autorité, on peut constater, chez les auteurs humanistes objets de notre analyse, un usage volontiers hétérodoxe de son œuvre, qu’il s’agisse des Vies ou des Moralia. Ces déviances ou ces écarts par rapport à la doxa nous ont semblé favorisés, voire permis, par les micro-récits que l’on puise chez le Chéronéen et que l’on transplante en sol étranger. Aussi notre travail entreprend-il, à travers la réception de Plutarque à la Renaissance, de « réviser » la catégorie rhétorique de l’exemplum. Les micro-récits plutarquiens nous paraissent se constituer en structures de pensée qui font bouger les normes instituées et autorisent l’émergence d’anomalies. / This study arose from the observation of a gap between, on the one hand, the ethos Plutarch is endowed with in the Renaissance and, on the other hand, the uses that are made of it: if Plutarch is considered to be a moral, even a moralizing, author, and an authority, we can see in the authors of the Renaissance who are the subjects of our analysis a readily unorthodox use of his work, as regards the Parallel Lives or the Moralia. These deviations or discrepancies from the doxa seem to us to have been favored, even allowed, by the short narratives stories that one draws on the Chaeronean works and then transplant in a foreign soil. Therefore our work undertakes, through the reception of Plutarch in the Renaissance, to “revise” the rhetorical category of the exemplum. Plutarchian short narrative stories seem to us to gather structures of thought that change the established standards and allow the emergence of anomalies.

O trabalho analisa as possíveis relações intratextuais entre as primeiras quatorze epístolas que formam o corpus das Heroides de Ovídio. Estas relações permitem ao leitor entendêlas não apenas como um mero conjunto de monólogos travestidos em um formato epistolar (Auhagen, 1999, p. 90), mas como peças que ganham significado à luz de outras. As relações surgem em função do caráter exemplar das heroínas, paradigmático de um determinado tipo de comportamento. No diálogo intratextual, a exemplaridade permite a configuração mútua destas mulheres e suas epístolas. Considerando que o próprio Ovídio, no livro 3 da Ars amatoria, recomenda a suas discípulas ler sua coleção de epístolas e que ele se refere a essas mulheres em diferentes ocasiões como exempla do fracasso na ars amandi, o corpus pode ser entendido como uma série de exempla para o leitor, complementares ao propósito didático da Ars amatoria. Em razão da falta de uma ars amandi, a maioria das heroínas fracassam ao tentar convencer seus amantes a voltar. Portanto, o leitor recebe as epístolas como um grande exemplum daquilo que não deve ser feito e como justificativa da necessidade de um praeceptor. A confluência dos gêneros elegíaco e epistolar possibilita que as epístolas sejam um meio apropriado para transmitir um exemplum, por causa do caráter didático de ambos os gêneros. / This research analyses the possible intratextual relation between the first fourteen epistles of Ovids Heroides. These relations allow the reader to understand them not only as unconnected monologues brought together under the form of epistles (Auhagen, 1999, p. 90), but also as collection of poems that have meaning when read in the light of the others. The relations emerge because of the heroines exemplary character, paradigmatic of a certain behavior. In the intratextual dialogue, the exemplarity enables the mutual configuration of the women and their epistles. Considering that Ovid himself, in the third book of his Ars, recommends to read his collection of epistles and that he also refers to these women as exempla of failure in the art of love, the whole collection can be understood as a series of exempla that complement the didactic purpose of the Ars amatoria. Because of their lack of ars amandi, most of the heroines fail in trying to convince their lovers to come back to them. Therefore, the reader receives the epistles as an exemplum of what should not be done and as a justification for the need of a praeceptor. The overlapping of the elegiac and the epistolary genres enables the letter to be an appropriate mean to convey an exemplum, due to the didactic features of both genres.

O trabalho analisa as possíveis relações intratextuais entre as primeiras quatorze epístolas que formam o corpus das Heroides de Ovídio. Estas relações permitem ao leitor entendêlas não apenas como um mero conjunto de monólogos travestidos em um formato epistolar (Auhagen, 1999, p. 90), mas como peças que ganham significado à luz de outras. As relações surgem em função do caráter exemplar das heroínas, paradigmático de um determinado tipo de comportamento. No diálogo intratextual, a exemplaridade permite a configuração mútua destas mulheres e suas epístolas. Considerando que o próprio Ovídio, no livro 3 da Ars amatoria, recomenda a suas discípulas ler sua coleção de epístolas e que ele se refere a essas mulheres em diferentes ocasiões como exempla do fracasso na ars amandi, o corpus pode ser entendido como uma série de exempla para o leitor, complementares ao propósito didático da Ars amatoria. Em razão da falta de uma ars amandi, a maioria das heroínas fracassam ao tentar convencer seus amantes a voltar. Portanto, o leitor recebe as epístolas como um grande exemplum daquilo que não deve ser feito e como justificativa da necessidade de um praeceptor. A confluência dos gêneros elegíaco e epistolar possibilita que as epístolas sejam um meio apropriado para transmitir um exemplum, por causa do caráter didático de ambos os gêneros. / This research analyses the possible intratextual relation between the first fourteen epistles of Ovids Heroides. These relations allow the reader to understand them not only as unconnected monologues brought together under the form of epistles (Auhagen, 1999, p. 90), but also as collection of poems that have meaning when read in the light of the others. The relations emerge because of the heroines exemplary character, paradigmatic of a certain behavior. In the intratextual dialogue, the exemplarity enables the mutual configuration of the women and their epistles. Considering that Ovid himself, in the third book of his Ars, recommends to read his collection of epistles and that he also refers to these women as exempla of failure in the art of love, the whole collection can be understood as a series of exempla that complement the didactic purpose of the Ars amatoria. Because of their lack of ars amandi, most of the heroines fail in trying to convince their lovers to come back to them. Therefore, the reader receives the epistles as an exemplum of what should not be done and as a justification for the need of a praeceptor. The overlapping of the elegiac and the epistolary genres enables the letter to be an appropriate mean to convey an exemplum, due to the didactic features of both genres.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att se hur moraliska föredömen framställs i två texter av olika karaktär - Stefan Einhorns berättelse ”Läraren” samt Aisopos fabel Lejonet och musen. För att få fram dessa moraliska föredömen genomförs en narrativ analys. För att lyfta likheter och skillnader i de båda texterna används berättar- och lyssnarinstans samt symboler och allegorier från den narrativa analysen. Berättar- och lyssnarinstans används för att se till den konkreta texten medan symboler och allegorier används för att se det underliggande budskapet. I analysen jämförs även texternas sensmoraler och hur de båda är uppbyggda fram till sensmoralen. Texterna jämförs för att se huruvida de båda kan verka som didaktiska texter.Grundtanken är att försöka komma fram till ifall respektive text kan ses som exempel på moraliska föredömen utifrån exemplumgenren. Vidare ligger syftet vid att försöka förstå hur texterna tas emot av läsaren och hur framställningen av de moraliska föredömena sker. Tanken är att se huruvida enklare texter kan fungera som moraliska ”kompasser” för människor. Slutsatsen blir att ingen av de valda texterna har ett narrativt djup vilket gör de svåra att analyser. Men bara för att en text inte har ett narrativt djup så behöver det inte betyda att den inte har en mening eller ett budskap den vill förmedla. Därför fungerar båda verk bra som exemplum då tolkningen är att författarnas syfte med texterna är att vara sedelärande. / The purpose of this paper is to see how the role models in moral are visible in two texts of different character - Stefan Einhorns short story "teacher" and Aisopo's fable Lejonet och musen. To obtain these moral role models a narrative analysis was used. To highlight the similarities and differences in the two texts a narrative- and listen instance as well as symbols and allegories from the narrative analysis are used. Narrative- and listen instance is used to analyze the concrete text and symbols and allegories are used to see the underlying message. The analysis also compared the texts morals and how the two are built up to the moral. The texts are compared to see whether the text can be seen as didactic texts. The basic idea is to try to come to the event and the text can be seen as examples of moral examples based on the exemplum genere. Further the aim at trying to understand how texts are received by the reader and the production of the moral role models occurs. The idea is to see whether simple texts can act as a moral "compass" for the people. The conclusion is that none of the selected texts have a narrative depth which makes them difficult to analysis. But just because a text does not have a narrative depth that does not mean that it does not have a meaning or a message it wants to convey. Therefore both texts works good as exemplum when the interpretation is that the authors' purpose of the texts is to learn the listener about there moral.

Notre thèse étudie comment les réflexions sur l’histoire et l’historiographie, que Montaigne élabore en dialoguant avec les lieux communs antiques et humanistes ainsi qu’avec des nouvelles théories historiques avancées par les historiens juristes français de son époque – à commencer par Jean Bodin, auteur de la Méthode de l’histoire –, débordent leur domaine originel et servent à approfondir ses réflexions sur divers autres thèmes. Après avoir précisé le passage de l’« art d’écrire l’histoire » à l’« art de lire les histoires » qui s’est développé chez les historiens juristes français du XVIe siècle et au sein duquel Montaigne élabore sa propre façon de lire les histoires en soulignant pour sa part la liberté et la spontanéité du lecteur (première partie), nous tentons d’abord de montrer qu’il surmonte l’incertitude épistémologique de l’histoire humaine en distinguant nettement le « croyable » du « possible » et en construisant un système de connaissance fondée uniquement sur la « foi » qu’échangent les témoins, les historiens et leur lecteur (seconde partie) ; ensuite, nous examinons la manière dont il bouleverse la notion et la pratique de l’exemplum historique sur le plan tant discursif que didactique, et revendique les exempla tirés de sa propre vie, tout en reconnaissant leur imperfection (troisième partie) ; enfin, au niveau de l’écriture, nous constatons non seulement qu’il représente son expérience personnelle dans l’histoire en contaminant volontairement le passé avec le présent, mais aussi qu’il s’inspire des historiens – notamment des historiens parlant de leurs propres gestes – pour justifier son écriture de soi-même (quatrième partie). Compte tenu du contexte culturel et intellectuel de la Renaissance, nous mettons ainsi en lumière la sensibilité et les connaissances profondes qu’avait Montaigne des débats contemporains concernant l’histoire et l’historiographie, et montrons que ses réflexions sur l’histoire alimentent celles sur les questions épistémologiques, morales et littéraires dans les Essais. / Our thesis studies how the reflections of Montaigne on the history and the historiography, which he developed in engaging a dialogue with ancient and humanist commonplaces as well as with new historical theories advanced by French jurist historians of his time – such as Jean Bodin, author of the Method of history –, overflow from their original domain and help to deepen his reflections on various themes in the Essays. After having specified the shift from the "art to write a history" to the "art to read histories" that took place among the French jurist historians of the 16th century, and following which Montaigne elaborates his own way of reading histories on emphasizing, for his part, the reader’s liberty and spontaneity (the First Part), we first try to show that he surmounts the epistemological uncertainty of the human history by distinguishing clearly "unbelievable" from "possible" and by building a knowledge system based solely on the "faith" exchanged by witnesses, historians and their readers (the Second Part); then, we examine how he disrupts the notion and the practice of historical exemplum both in a discursive way and in a didactic way, reevaluate the exempla drawn from his own life in spite of recognizing their imperfection (the Third Part); finally, to the level of the writing, we not only see that Montaigne represents his personal experience within history on voluntarily contaminating the past with the present, but also that he is inspired by some historians – especially the historians talking about their own actions – for justifying his writing about himself (the Fourth Part). Considering the cultural and intellectual context of the Renaissance, we bring thus to light the sensitivity and the deep knowledge of Montaigne concerning the contemporary debates about the history and the historiography, and show that his reflections on history nourish the epistemological, moral and literary questions in the Essays.

Esta dissertação propõe-se a estudar os exempla de visões proféticas no Orto do Esposo, obra anônima portuguesa do século XIV. Para isso, articulamos a doutrina retórica clássica do exemplum (sobretudo a aristotélica, mas também a da Retórica a Herênio), à teoria teológica da visio (particularmente a de matriz agostiniana). Procuramos mostrar como as muitas características peculiares das visões, tomadas como matéria de elaboração narrativa, servem às finalidades doutrinárias do exemplum, dogmáticas e morais igualmente. Inicialmente, estudamos as visões proféticas em seu aspecto figurativo, entendendo que as imagens contempladas pelos visionários em suas visões, sobretudo nos sonhos e nos êxtases, podem ser encaradas como verdadeiros exempla divinos, na medida em que sua interpretação, objeto de revelação sobrenatural, é comparável à enunciação abstrata do pensamento que um exemplum propriamente dito procura iluminar. Depois, voltando-nos para as demais características tópicas da visão, mostramos como elas contribuem para a produção do sentido nas narrativas em que aparecem, e relacionamo-las, sempre que possível, ao contexto doutrinário pertinente. / This dissertation seeks to study the exempla containing prophetic visions in the Orto do Esposo, a portuguese anonymous literary work from the 14th centrury. To this end, we use in combination the classical rhetorical doctrine of the exemplum (mostly that of Aristotle, but also the Rhetorica ad Herennium) and the theological theory of the visio (particularly the Augustinian tradition). We intend to demonstrate how the many peculiar features of the visions, considered as material of literary elaboration, become useful to the doctrinary purpose of the exempla, concerning dogmatics and morals as well. Firstly we study the figurative character of prophetic visions, admitting that images seen by the visionaries in their visions, mostly in dreams and extasies, can be truly considered divine exempla, since their interpretation, the object of supernatural revelation, is analogous to the abstract formulation of a thought wich the exemplum proper seeks to illustrate. Secondly, we turn to the other topical features of the vision, and show how they contribute to the construction of meaning in the stories in wich they appear, relating them, whenever possible, to the relevant doctrinary context.

L’objet de cette thèse est de faire connaître un poème inédit du XIVe siècle, conservé à la bibliothèque du Château de Chantilly sous la cote 1477.Nous proposons une édition annotée de ce texte et complétée par différents glossaires et index qui permettent de le situer dans l’histoire littéraire du Moyen Âge.Dans un deuxième volet, nous avons cherché à apporter des réponses sur l’histoire du manuscrit, son auteur, les dédicataires à qui il était destiné. Nous avons également tenté de restituer le contexte culturel, historique et religieux du Livre royal ainsi que les intentions de son auteur. La dédicace indique qu’il était destiné à Philippe VI de Valois, premier roi de la dynastie des Valois et sa famille ; cette dédicace permet de dater l’ouvrage de 1345-1347. Il est donc royal par sa destination et sa qualité artistique ; il peut s’apparenter à un Miroir aux princes ou plutôt aux princesses car il semble destiné en priorité à un public féminin pour lequel il est rédigé en français. Il reflète les vicissitudes du temps puisqu’il fut composé lors de la première phase de la guerre de Cent Ans qui opposa le roi à Edouard III souverain anglais. Dans le domaine politique, le Livre royal apparaît comme l’œuvre d’un publiciste du pouvoir en place. Il témoigne également des préoccupations morales et religieuses de son auteur, soucieux de contribuer à la formation des élites et, à ce titre, il est un exemple de vulgarisation religieuse. Le Livre royal qui puise dans des sources nombreuses et variées se présente donc aussi bien comme un témoin de la circulation des textes et de leur réception dans le milieu des lettrés que le témoin d’une culture, celle d’un clerc du XIVe s. / The purpose of this thesis is to present an original poem of the fouteenth century, preserved in the library of the Château de Chantilly in classification mark 1477.We therefore propose an annotated edition of the text and supplemented by various glossaries and indexes that situate him in the literary history of the Middle Ages.In a second phase, we sought to provide answers about the history of the manuscript, the author, the didicatee in which it was intended. We also attempted to restore the cultural, historical and religious context of the Royal Book and the intentions of its author. The dedication says it was intented to Philippe VI, the first king of the dynasty of Valois and his family ; this dedication makes it possible to date the book from 1345 to 1347. The manuscript is a royal destination and its artistic quality ; it can be likened to a mirror for princes or princesses rather because it seems aimed primarily at a female audience for which it is written in French. Il reflects the vicissitudes of time since it was composed in the first phase of the Hundred Years War that pitted the king Edward III English sovereign. In politics, the Royal Book appears as the work of a publicist in power. Il also reflects the moral and religious concerns of its author, anxious to help train the elite and as such, it is also an example of religious outreach. The Royal Book that draws from many diverse sources presents itself both as a witness to circulation of texts and their reception in the middle of the scholars that the witness of a culture, that of a clerk of the fourteenth century.

Esta dissertação propõe-se a estudar os exempla de visões proféticas no Orto do Esposo, obra anônima portuguesa do século XIV. Para isso, articulamos a doutrina retórica clássica do exemplum (sobretudo a aristotélica, mas também a da Retórica a Herênio), à teoria teológica da visio (particularmente a de matriz agostiniana). Procuramos mostrar como as muitas características peculiares das visões, tomadas como matéria de elaboração narrativa, servem às finalidades doutrinárias do exemplum, dogmáticas e morais igualmente. Inicialmente, estudamos as visões proféticas em seu aspecto figurativo, entendendo que as imagens contempladas pelos visionários em suas visões, sobretudo nos sonhos e nos êxtases, podem ser encaradas como verdadeiros exempla divinos, na medida em que sua interpretação, objeto de revelação sobrenatural, é comparável à enunciação abstrata do pensamento que um exemplum propriamente dito procura iluminar. Depois, voltando-nos para as demais características tópicas da visão, mostramos como elas contribuem para a produção do sentido nas narrativas em que aparecem, e relacionamo-las, sempre que possível, ao contexto doutrinário pertinente. / This dissertation seeks to study the exempla containing prophetic visions in the Orto do Esposo, a portuguese anonymous literary work from the 14th centrury. To this end, we use in combination the classical rhetorical doctrine of the exemplum (mostly that of Aristotle, but also the Rhetorica ad Herennium) and the theological theory of the visio (particularly the Augustinian tradition). We intend to demonstrate how the many peculiar features of the visions, considered as material of literary elaboration, become useful to the doctrinary purpose of the exempla, concerning dogmatics and morals as well. Firstly we study the figurative character of prophetic visions, admitting that images seen by the visionaries in their visions, mostly in dreams and extasies, can be truly considered divine exempla, since their interpretation, the object of supernatural revelation, is analogous to the abstract formulation of a thought wich the exemplum proper seeks to illustrate. Secondly, we turn to the other topical features of the vision, and show how they contribute to the construction of meaning in the stories in wich they appear, relating them, whenever possible, to the relevant doctrinary context.

Cette étude se propose d’analyser la réception médiévale du personnage de Caton d’Utique, philosophe stoïcien et citoyen romain engagé dans la défense des institutions républicaines durant la période de la seconde guerre civile, qui se suicida après la victoire de Jules César (46 av. J.-C.). Concentrant, dans un premier temps, notre intérêt sur le Catone dantesco, et en particulier sur le portier du Purgatorio de la Commedia, il a semblé pertinent de remonter le cours du temps afin d’étudier les potentielles sources de la figure catonienne élaborée par Dante (1265-1321). Ce projet a conduit à réévaluer l’image du Romain dessinée par les auteurs antiques (Ier s. av. J.-C.-VIIe s. ap. J.-C.), puis à découvrir les contours de celle tracée par les auteurs médiévaux (VIIIe s. ap. J.-C.-1320). Cet imposant parcours s’est organisé autour d’une quadruple interrogation concernant la pensée médiévale : quel rôle y joue l’exemplarité ? quelle place revient à Rome et aux Romains ? comment sont traitées les questions de la liberté et du suicide ? comment répond-on au problème du salut des païens antiques ? / The study examines the medieval reception of the character of Cato of Utica, a Stoic philosopher and Roman citizen engaged in defending the institutions of the Roman Republic during the second civil war, who committed suicide after the Julius Caesar's victory (46 B.C.E.). The thesis starts by focusing on the Catone dantesco, and in particular on Cato as the warden of the Purgatorio of the Commedia, and then works backwards in analyzing the potential sources of Dante’s (1265-1321) portrayal. This undertaking leads to a reevaluation of the image of Cato in antique authors (1st century B.C.E.-7th century C.E.), and then to uncovering the outlines of the portrayals of medieval authors (8th century C.E. - 1320). This massive undertaking is organized around four questions concerning medieval thought : what role does the notion of exemplarity play in the discussion? What place is given to Rome and to the Romans? How are the questions of liberty and suicide treated? How do the authors discuss the problem of salvation for pagans of Antiquity?