Summae dictaminis als Zerrspiegel einer Schreibkunst? Auswahlprozesse und die süditalienische Ars dictaminis des dreizehnten Jahrhunderts
Résumé
The summae dictaminis or collections of dictamina that were created in the milieu of the Sicilian and papal chanceries during the 13th century have an ambiguous position in Medieval Latin scholarship. Although recent research has contributed new insights, the summae continue to occupy a liminal position between the study of the history of Latin rhetoric and the research of more institutional and political phenomena.The selection process at the origin of these medieval textual ‹databases› has tended to obscure the original rhetorical culture of the milieu that conceived them.It is true that the summae dictaminis linked with the names of Pietro della Vigna,Thomas of Capua, and Richard of Pofi among others were partly created to facilitate the work of future notaries, by providing them with rhetorical, political, and administrative models. However, a careful study of some of their prototypes and alternative forms suggests that the original balance between literary and political interests typical of this culture was partly lost during their long selection process. In particular, the links between ars poetriae and ars dictaminis can be reconsidered in the light of this interpretation, as well as, more generally, the usefulness of maintaining a sharp distinction between the terms ‹literary› and ‹non-literary› for this type of medieval texts.
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