Łacińskie utwory o utracie psich pupili w renesansowych Włoszech
LATIN WORKS ABOUT THE LOSS OF A DOG IN RENAISSANCE ITALY

Summary/Abstract: Article is an analysis of three selected Latin works about the loss of a dog composed in Renaissance Italy: Lusus 43 by Andrea Navagero, De catella puellae by Lodovico Ariosto and Melampus, an eclogue, by Luigi Alamanni. These poems, fitting into the popular corrente cinofila of that time, are characterized by a strong emotional component and a humorous tone. The first two epicedia engage in an intertextual dialogue with the poems of Catullus, especially 2nd and 3rd. The poem of Navagero, who was one of the neo-Catullan poets, is an example of aemulatio, while Ariosto’s work can be seen as a parody of Catullus’ „sparrow poems”. Alamano’s eclogue primarily draws from ancient bucolic sources (Virgil and Moschus). In this work, the death of the animal is portrayed as the death of an epic hero. The presence of hyperbole and a humorous tone in all three poems suggests that these pieces should be understood more as a literary lusus rather than an expression of deep mourning for the loss of a household member.

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