Ancient and Modern Lyrical Intersections. Some Theoretical Perspectives

In Classical Antiquity there was no theory regarding the general or particular forms of literature, in this case a theory of genres or species. The distinction was made through current literary practice, certified by tradition. In the present analysis, the author proposes to delimit the basic meanings of the modern concept of literary genre starting from the hypothesis of an indistinct primordial “poetic genre” (Edgar Papu). The lyrical poetry of Classical Antiquity served to Papu as an illustration of the general space of affection. From here, the second hypothesis: the existence of an “emotional” or “expressive” genre (René Martin, Jacques Gaillard), from which later developed the particular forms of lyrical species, belonging the literature of Greco-Latin classicism.