Colloquia Maruliana ..., Vol. 6 , 1997.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Marulić's Europeanism
Mirko Tomasović
Sažetak
It has become almost a habit to emphasize Marulić’s European significance, grounding this claim mainly on the European popularity of his Latin works. The reasons underlying such a brilliant success and the traits that made Marulić an author of European profile and standing are far less often explained. With this in mind, the author lists, point by point, the theses that corroborate this assertion:
a) His Christian-vergilian epic poem Dauidias and Latin poems discovered by Darko Novaković in Glasgow, show on the one hand Marulić’s classical and post-classical literary erudition, and on the other his poetic mastery. Besides, they prove that his poetry was open to all characteristically humanist genres and themes.
b) The often mentioned Christian faith of Marulić, his religious zeal, clericalism and piousness are also in keeping with the western tradition. Besides, in the Christian literary trend Marulić did not rely exclusively on the so called Latin and mediterranean Europe, but also responded to the impulses from the North (devotio moderna, Erasmus).
c) The multi-faceted interest and achievement, as well as the variety of output are characteristic of European humanists. In this Marulić was exemplary: he worked in different artistic media, had many interests (literature, painting, sculpture, stage, music), left evidence of different kinds of civic involvement (family, city, domicile, homeland) and showed a systematic attention to authorship (signature in verse at the end of poems, epistles and dedications at the beginning of works). He also possessed a vast collection of books from numerous fields of knowledge which he passionately read and excerpted. His works abound in intimate and subjective tones (hardship of the old age, ailments of the members of the household, nostalgia for youth, sorrow for the painful loss of the pet, a personal idea of female beauty). To this we can add his interest in antique localities and classical inscriptions, public memoranda, his cherishing of personal relationships and companionship in a humanist cenacle, practical experience in the management of an estate, trade with Venice...
d) Even his use of the Croatian language is to be set within a European frame-work. The passage from the humanist Latinism to the Renaissance was brought about mainly through the conscious choice and application of the “vernacular” as a poetic medium. In his foreword to Judita Marulić affirms the tradition of the Croatian language, declaring his mother-tongue fit for poetic use and capable of meeting the needs of high epic composition. He proved it abundantly with his epic poems.
e) Marulić’s trilingualism (Croatian, Latin, Italian) is also a signum temporis. He translated Dante and Petrarch from Italian into the Latin humanist idiom, Petrarch from Italian into Croatian, Thomas a Kempis from Latin into Croatian etc.
f) Integration and harmonization of classical heritage with the Bible as the universal source are another sign of the time. In his works we can easily recognize biblical subject-matter, vergilian treatment, mythological poetic ornamentation, as well as elements of Petrarchan eloquence and Renaissance picturesqueness, all this in the maternal, Croatian language.
g) Marulić’s Europeanism is at the same time the Europeanism of the society from which he grew and in which he lived and worked. In his day the south Croatian urban centers followed western standards in city planning, church architecture, arts and fashion. Humanist schools were active there, while many young men were educated abroad. Marulić himself studied at Split and Padua. He sojourned in Venice several times. At Split he engaged with a group of erudites and men of letters; he had a public for whom he wrote. All of this proves that he was neither a recluse removed from society, nor an isolated phenomenon in the mother literature.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
9576
URI
Datum izdavanja:
22.4.1997.
Posjeta: 1.581 *