This article compares the travel narratives of Joseph Catin (sixteenth century) and Charles de Brosses (eighteenth century) on Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean Fields, highlighting two distinct cultural paradigms: Renaissance humanism and the Age of Enlightenment. Catin conceives of the landscape as a sacred and symbolic “site of memory,” employing a solemn and philological style, whereas de Brosses adopts an ironic and familiar tone, grounded in an empirical and critical observation of the present. The analysis draws on comparative stylistics and the theories of Cesare Segre1, François Hartog2 and Pierre Nora3, distinguishing between “antiquity as a model” and “antiquity as a critical object.” This study illustrates the epistemological and cultural transformation of travel writing in Europe, from reverential respect to a disenchanted and pluralistic approach.
Pouzzoles, entre sacralité et ironie: de l’humanisme aux Lumières
Rosario Pellegrino
2026
Abstract
This article compares the travel narratives of Joseph Catin (sixteenth century) and Charles de Brosses (eighteenth century) on Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean Fields, highlighting two distinct cultural paradigms: Renaissance humanism and the Age of Enlightenment. Catin conceives of the landscape as a sacred and symbolic “site of memory,” employing a solemn and philological style, whereas de Brosses adopts an ironic and familiar tone, grounded in an empirical and critical observation of the present. The analysis draws on comparative stylistics and the theories of Cesare Segre1, François Hartog2 and Pierre Nora3, distinguishing between “antiquity as a model” and “antiquity as a critical object.” This study illustrates the epistemological and cultural transformation of travel writing in Europe, from reverential respect to a disenchanted and pluralistic approach.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
