Identifying an island that does not exist. Bartolomeo della Fonte commenting on Circe’s island (Val. Fl. 7,262)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36191/mjb/2024-59-1-2Schlagworte:
Bartolomeo della Fonte, humanistic exegesis, Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, FortlebenAbstract
Lorenzo Vespoli: Identifying an island that does not exist. Bartolomeo della Fonte commenting on Circe’s island (Val. Fl. 7,262)
The handwritten notes of Bartolomeo della Fonte (1446 – 1513) on the Argonautica of Valerius Flaccus, handed down by the incunabulum Ricc. Ed. R. 431 [ISTC iv00020000; USTC 990150], provide us with useful information both on the type of exegesis carried out by the humanist and on the reception of the Flavian poem in the 15th century. Of great interest is the way Bartolomeo della Fonte explains the text of Valerius Flaccus using other Greek and Latin authors. Taking into account Bartolomeo della Fonte’s commentary on Val. Fl. 7,262, where Circe’s island is cited, I aim to provide useful information on the humanist’s exegetical method and the loci classici he read.
