Rereading tradition in Persius’ satires

Abstract

This paper investigates how Persius, Roman author from the Neronian period commonly characterized as obscure and neglected by the critics, offers in his Saturae a new style for the genre Satire, in which he emulates traditional themes shared by Lucilius and Horace, such as the delimitation of the audience, the libertas, and the latinitas. It also aims at reinforcing that the study of Persius’ poetry and his reinterpretation of tradition is fundamental for the understanding of the development of Satire as a genre in Rome, creating elements that will be fundamental for later satirists.