Iterative amplificatio: a new way to read the “Lame Beggars Sequence” in More’s Epigrammata

dc.coverageDOI: 10.3366/more.2022.0127
dc.creatorEllis, Erik Z.D.
dc.date2022
dc.date.accessioned05-01-2026 18:07
dc.date.available05-01-2026 18:07
dc.description<p>Thomas More’s 281 epigrams form a diverse and seemingly haphazard collection of occasional and programmatic pieces written in a variety of meters on diverse topics. Since most of More’s papers disappeared in the years immediately following his death, it is difficult and perhaps impossible to reconstruct on the basis of external evidence the rationale behind the selection and distribution of his epigrams. Despite this challenge, internal evidence provides some clues. Nearly half of the epigrams are translations of Greek originals. Some of these Greek originals serve as the basis for sequences of epigrams, one of which is the “Lame Beggars Sequence.” Through a process of iterative amplificatio, More progressively cultivates eloquence as he extends the meaning of his original to encompass moral and political themes. In turn, he develops the theme into original compositions before producing a final translation that encompasses both the literal and moral senses of the original Greek.</p>eng
dc.identifierhttps://investigadores.uandes.cl/en/publications/7e29edc9-b008-4245-94e2-4da4a2af80cb
dc.languageeng
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.sourcevol.59 (2022) nr.2 p.220-232
dc.subjectamplificatio
dc.subjectepigrams
dc.subjectpoetic composition
dc.subjectprogymnasmata
dc.subjectThomas More
dc.titleIterative amplificatio: a new way to read the “Lame Beggars Sequence” in More’s Epigrammataeng
dc.typeConference articleeng
dc.typeArtículo de la conferenciaspa
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