Nelu ZUGRAVU (Centrul de Studii Clasice și Creștine, Facultatea de Istorie, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași)
Metafore ale ciumei în surse latine târzii [Metaphors of the plague in late Latin sources]
Keywords: the plague metaphor, late Latin literature, dysfunctions of late Roman society, emperors as metaphors of plague.
Abstract: Metaphors of the plague in late Latin sources. The plague metaphor has a high incidence in Latin literature. The present text indicates some examples of plague metaphors collected from various sources (literary, legal, historiographical, poetic, rhetorical, polemical) belonging to the late antique period, which are intended to emphasize, through the integral transfer of meaning from the lethal disease to various aspects responsible for aggravating the dysfunctions and deterioration to the point of collapse of the ills of the late antique Roman society – fiscal obligations, abuses, compromised justice, aggressive Christianity, magic, heresy, some emperors, usurpers and members of the imperial administrative apparatus, etc. The subject would deserve to be deepened in a larger work, which would analyze the presence and significance of this rhetorical and stylistic procedure according to the character of the writings, the literary genre to which they belong, the narrative, poetic or rhetorical context of the use, the political and cultural framework of the elaboration of the works, the religious or philosophical orientation of the authors, the purpose of the intended message.