S. II b. C : A new historical relief goes from Greece to Rome ; Rome takes to Greece as a cultural medium which starts from a helenic or greek adaptation.

Greek language is transformed into a predominant language.

The most relevant cultural institutions are greek.

The main models of the Latin literary theory ( Cicero, Horatio ) analized the greek sources, moving indeed to the same Greece.

Horatio was one of the best poets, critics and functionaries in all over the world.

He wasn´ t very accepted as a poet, but being one of Augustus´s favourite, he became helpful to knowledge and culture.

An open, sceptic philosopher according to his positions ( because he used to hesitate about the social points of view ), indeed it has been characterised as HEDONIST, due to the fact that he sees the life as a pleasure and amusement.

Study of dramatic poetry or theatre, having a kind of ideas similar to Cicero, but while in Horatio is a study next to poetics, in Cicero is to prose.

3. HORATIO´S FEATURES IN POETRY.

*According to Horatio, the main function in poetry is to be useful and to be able to make us entertain – PRODESSE ET DELECTARE .

Thereby, there is a continuity in relation to the Greek thoughts : as Plato said, poetry can or cannot damage the citizens education ( this still continues being alive in Rome ).

A great importance has the poetic language referring to practic, stylistic, pragmatic and technical effects. It does not mean that theoretical, philosophical and speculative ones have been lost in Rome, but the theoretical questions are already considered as known, although they are necessary too.

With other words, the conceptual frame inherits from Greece, but when it is worked, the others are used.

The idea formulated before reflects clearly the IMITATION or PARADIGM MIMICRY ; following it, the prose can reflect the universal elements in reality ; if this is obtained, it acquires the concept of DECORUM. In this way, the more explicatives resources the more better, not referring to the frame.

Language in general is what preoccupies Latin authors, it is said, the ELOQUENTIA ( term used to name the expressive mediums´ capacity to create new senses far from the daily language and next to the most literary terms ).

The practice in Latin literary theory takes place in institutional, rigid and restrictive fields.

*So, now we are going to study the main work from Horatio, POETICS.

It is known by EPISTOLA AD PISONES ; firstly it was a private letter to Pisones family, secondly it was public yet.

It was written between 23- 13 b. C., having a text with an informal, non-systematic, funny and ironic pitch in contrast to the way of Aristotelian´ s writing, based on logics and systematization.

The main source was NEOPTOLEMUS DE PARIO : he was an alexandrine poet and grammarian, Teofrasto´s disciple, also Aristotle´s disciple. All this permit us to see a sequel from Aristotle to Horatio.

- Similarities between Neoptolemus and Horatio:

·The general structure of the text ( PRODESSE ET DELECTARE ).

·Type of knowledge a poet must have.

·Culture and nature elements which occur in the field of poetic learning, are created in the same terms.

- Horatio´s position:

Priority to the dramatic genre ( theatre ) when he handles the poetic problems.

- Readings:

·Sociological, Horatio treats preferably the dramatic poetry, because in his cultural context ( Rome ) had already existed relevant examples as Virgil (epic genre) as Ovid ( lyric genre). He pretends to revitalize the past poetry prestige from Greece to Rome.

·Textual, he gives continuity to Aristotle´s proposals, adjusting and updating the dramatic genre in Rome. In this way, Horatio gives prestige to himself.

• The ORDER is considered as a VIRTUE.
• An ORDER PRINCIPLE must join every element. Aristotle calls this MESURA.
• COHERENT nature in characters.
• The beginning has to be in tune with itself.
• It´s better not to leave very much from the strategy´s work.
• CLARITY in poetry ( EXPRESSION ). If the poetics logic is not coherent, it won´t be clear. Both qualities must be joined.
• As Aristotle, Horatio handles two types of recognition

• a FORMAL recognition : a continuity principle (coherence) and lineality between the elements.
• a PRACTIC, PRAGMATIC recognition between the audience and the performed stage, both liberating from the CATARSIS, it is said, we must distinguish by the facts.

• ACTION ITINERARY : The end must be in line with the beginning.
• The moments in which CHORUS takes part, the tragic elements mustn´t contradict to the action ones.
• Don´t mixture the roles related to a young and an old person or inversely. The role always must belong to somebody with an appearance suitable for his/ her age.
• COHERENCE in two dimensions, with itself (action point) and with the context, using logical scenes from daily life.
• The EXPRESSION ( ELOCUTION ) must be clear and ordered, but not being ordinary. The more ordered and clear the expression, the more possibilities of success in social world.

- Beauty praise.

The poem must be not only fine, but also enchanting to the audience.

The seduction for Horatio is seen as a virtue or something positive ; for Plato and Aristotle this praise is not so clear or so present.

- Newness praise.

Horatio is satisfied with the poetry capacities to produce innovations and new visions in the world.

The words are seen here in a metaphoric way, in the sense of they let fall due to the use but after they begin the process for re-use (similar to the tree´s leaves).

- Poetry has to be useful and delightful (PRODESSE ET DELECTARE). It´s an idea which changes constantly. In a sense, the delight in a practice and usefulness is new in Horatio.

- Comparation between poetry and painting (UT PICTURA POESIS).

It is said that poetry is like painting, idea established by Plato and Aristotle, continuing with Horatio thanks to the IMITATION THEORY ( painting must reflect reality).

Imitation is considered as a poetry´s virtue. So Horattio has a vision more aristotelic

than platonic because poetry is valued positively.

- TECHNICAL RULE in poetry.

Poetry as a technique, where it´s necessary a continuous practic or technical work, which consists on something natural, innate. All this is essential to understand the explanation for poetic knowledge.

- Poet as a MENTAL DERANGED.

Poet is compared to a mad person. On the contrary, Plato says that it cannot be possible to make him a reproach for being mad, and he defends poet against those who have formulate this.