Venanzio Fortunato e la rappresentazione di sé: tra modestia retorica e realismo comico

In the carmina Venantius Fortunatus often represents himself with characteristics that fall within the topic of modesty, but sometimes he also resorts to unusual and delicate images. In many places, sometimes with irony, he represents himself in situations of difficulty, danger or illness. In some surprising representations, with realistic features and tones between the serious and the comical, the poet portrays himself in unpleasant and embarrassing conditions determined by his food excesses. The image of Venantius Fortunatus that emerges from the carmina shows rhetorical characters, but also absolutely unprecedented and unconventional traits, which perhaps reflect aspects of his authentic humanity.