This chapter analyses the multi-layered stratification of intertextual references in Machiavelli’s account of the Pazzi conspiracy in his "Istorie fiorentine" (published in 1532), with a specific focus on the role played by Angelo Poliziano’s "Coniurationis commentarium" (1478), the first narrative of the plot against the Medici brothers that took place in Florence in 1478. The complex interweaving of imitative patterns in book VIII of Machiavelli’s Istorie fiorentine does not only disclose stylistic practices, but also helps us to gain a better insight into Machiavelli’s method of composition as a historian and his careful use of sources. His historical account is built up by echoes of both classical and coeval sources, among which Poliziano is a pivotal model. Machiavelli does not only draw from the "Coniurationis commentarium" some crucial narrative elements, but also specific verbal references, which, in turn, prove to be allusions that Poliziano makes to classical auctoritates. Moreover, some of these imitative series and ‘layered’ references reveal the unspoken political perspective that underlies some sections of Machiavelli’s account, in particular Lorenzo de’ Medici’s very famous speech to the most eminent Florentine citizens after the plot: one of the most emblematic examples of the intricate network of echoes of both classical and contemporary sources in Machiavelli’s work.
Imitation and Allusion in Machiavelli’s "Istorie Fiorentine" between Contemporary Sources and Classical Models
Marta Celati
2020-01-01
Abstract
This chapter analyses the multi-layered stratification of intertextual references in Machiavelli’s account of the Pazzi conspiracy in his "Istorie fiorentine" (published in 1532), with a specific focus on the role played by Angelo Poliziano’s "Coniurationis commentarium" (1478), the first narrative of the plot against the Medici brothers that took place in Florence in 1478. The complex interweaving of imitative patterns in book VIII of Machiavelli’s Istorie fiorentine does not only disclose stylistic practices, but also helps us to gain a better insight into Machiavelli’s method of composition as a historian and his careful use of sources. His historical account is built up by echoes of both classical and coeval sources, among which Poliziano is a pivotal model. Machiavelli does not only draw from the "Coniurationis commentarium" some crucial narrative elements, but also specific verbal references, which, in turn, prove to be allusions that Poliziano makes to classical auctoritates. Moreover, some of these imitative series and ‘layered’ references reveal the unspoken political perspective that underlies some sections of Machiavelli’s account, in particular Lorenzo de’ Medici’s very famous speech to the most eminent Florentine citizens after the plot: one of the most emblematic examples of the intricate network of echoes of both classical and contemporary sources in Machiavelli’s work.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
