Theologia Poetica as the Ideal of Humanism : Italian Renaissance Theory of Allegory and Its Historical Feature

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Other Title
  • 人文主義の範型としての詩的神学 : ルネサンス期の寓喩観とその歴史的特性
  • ジンブン シュギ ノ ハンケイ ト シテ ノ シテキ シンガク : ルネサンスキ ノ グウユカン ト ソノ レキシテキ トクセイ

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Abstract

There is a general theory of allegory accepted by many literary critics and philosophers; i.e. allegory is merely the figuration substitutes particular things for the universal concept. On the contrary, the aim in my paper is to produce counter evidences against this 'emblem' formula from the standpoint of theologia poetica which was the common topic among Italian Renaissance humanists. The advocates of it, such as Mussato, Petrarch, Salutati, and the Florentine Academicians thought the interpretation of allegory in poetry coincides with that in the Scripture, and poetry is also the medium of divine providence in accord with theology. Especially Salutati and Landino said poetry is the comprehensive science composed from all seven liberal arts, hence they presumed poetry to be the essence of the humanities and simultaneously the epistemological function of allegory to be to 'bring out something hidden in the fountain of divinity itself'. According to Landino, whether in the Scripture or in poetry, allegory 'embellishes' the truth with 'marvellous pleasure', and through the maze' of allegory one can reach the summit of knowledge'. In the view of such humanists, allegory is not figuration but the act of knowing, and consequently theologia poetica was the ideal of humanism.

Journal

  • Aesthetics

    Aesthetics 64 (2), 37-48, 2013

    The Japanese Society for Aesthetics

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