Epistle

The epistolary kind in Antiquity

Horace

published in 19 or 18 av. J. - C., rather than into 20, the allowed date, and probably after 13 av. J. - C. for the second collection

Cicéron

The letters, in the Latin literature, are a literary kind with philosophical, political or poetic tendency. Two types of letters:

familiar Letters. Some are addressed to his/her father while it is student with Athens
political Lettres

The letters of Cicéron contain of them some of which he is not the author but the recipient.

Sénèque

the Lettres in Lucilius are a treaty of moral Philosophie
a correspondence apocryphal book with Paul de Tarse which introduces the Latin philosopher " with the day before to be made chrétien" and which arises from the apologetic kind
Epistulae morals AD Lucilium

Ovide

Exiled with the Bridge, for a history Sacrilege, Ovide writes its Désespoir and the feeling of sound Exil with all his/her friends having an influence Politique in 4 named books " Letters of Pont"

Ausone (310-395)

Two books of epistles:

the first is a work of scholarship " bourgeoise" : éphéméride, comment of the 12 Césars of Suétone
the second contains a whole of named poetries Idylle S.

For this aspect, to see Epistulae Antiquae III - Acts of IIIe International symposium " The epistolary antique and its prolongations européens" (François-Rabelais University, Turns, 25- September 27th, 2002)

Humanism and rebirth

The perdure kind among humanistic large imitateurs of antiquity.

Boccace

Dante

Modern and contemporary literature

The epistle in worms was, like the talk itself, by the variety of let us tons and the subjects to which it lends itself, and by the enjouée familiarity which are the most natural quality, very cultivated in France where it has, as an introducer and first Master, Clément Marot, of which the epistles badines have the grace, the naivety, the charm of a genius which bends only in the too high kinds.

With, one quotes then epistles of Tabourot, of Voiture, Scarron; The Épître grains of this last is a masterpiece of liveliness, of spirit, in the literary satire.

The principal dramatic collaborator of Richelieu, the poet Boisrobert, counted especially on his epistles to have a name: “Boisrobert is cut off with withdraws epistolary”, known as Scarron. But Boileau, which found in the epistle the kind in conformity with its genius while carrying there more nobility than of familiarity, eclipses all these authors.

With, Voltaire approaches the epistle with the qualities different, but proportioned better with its framework. It returns to him, with the imitation of sound “dear Horace,” familiarity, the naturalness, the charm and the mischievousness inseparable from its genius. He writes in worms with the kings of time, Frederic, Catherine II, Gustave III, with the men of letters, his friends, or even his enemies, with the great ladies of the literary world and the queens of theater; he writes with deaths, in Boileau that he treats rather badly:

Boileau, correct author of some good writings,

Zoïle de Quinault and flattering of Louis

in Horace, more liked and most pleasant of its Masters.

The epistle is still treated successfully by a crowd of contemporaries of Voltaire. One noticed the Épître with Claudine of Nice-Bernard, the Épître on the idleness of Bernis, the Épître with my dress of Sedaine, the Épître in Voltaire of Boufflers, the Épître with my sister of Gresset, then various epistles of Piron, Hamilton, Saint-Lambert, Lebrun, Rulhière, Delille, Chénier, etc

For, separately the epistles isolated and of circumstance, Fontanes, Delavigne, Lamartine, etc, it is necessary to announce all the series of the epistles militant of Viennet which wrote all its long life of it, the first under the First Empire towards 1815, the last under the Second Empire about 1858. It obtained, thanks to some, like the Mules of dom Miguel, with the Muses , etc, which were accommodated in turn like courageous political proclamations or unhappy literary protests of the prices to the Floral Jeux. On the other hand, its Épître with the ragmen in favor of the Freedom of the press cost him its place in the army in 1827. those with the Chiffonniers against the crimes of the press .

The epistle also counted Masters and masterpieces in England. Some criticisms put in this kind the English poet Pope above Voltaire and Boileau. Blair equalized it at least in Horace, for her Épîtres morals ; as for its Epistle of Héloïse with Abélard , it is, following Villemain, “the happiest creation of the author and even of modern poetry. ” The epistles of Young, which belong to the satire, had success in its country, but without keeping an important place beside its other works.

In the German literature, the epistle turned to lyric overflowing. One quotes, with this character, the epistles of Wieland, Jacobi, Gleim, and several others.

The Italians, to have treated with happiness all the small kinds, did not scorn the epistle; several poets, like Chiabrera, Frugoni, etc, approached it, on the same traces of Horace, but without reaching by it with a reputation which associates their name with those of Boileau, Pope or the Voltaire.

There existed also another kind of epistle, the epistle dédicatoire or Dédicace.

New Testament

This term indicates also a certain number of books of the New Testament. One distinguishes in this case:

the Epistles pauliniennes, letters of and/or allotted to the Apôtre Paul at the communities Christian which it founded or which it advises;

Source

Gustave Vapereau, universal Dictionary of the literatures , Paris, Hatchet, 1876, p. 715-6

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