La amplicatio del locus amoenus en los prefacios de Juan de Mariana

Abstract

The following paper will approach the symbolic and rhetorical space of the locus amoenus in Juan de Mariana’s works De Rege et Regis institutione, first published in Toledo in 1599, and De morte et immortalitate, that were included in Mariana’sTractatus septem in Cologne in1609. Theprefaces to both worksfollow thestructure of a Ciceronianlocus amoenus, as it wascommon among the humanist scholars. This configuration of the philosophical discourse according to the Roman author can be found in Lorenzo Valla, Jerónimo Osório, etc. However, there are rhetorical differences between Mariana’s prefaces, especially when regarding the use of Latin. It is our aim to point these differences out, which are mainly based on the use of the rhetorical device of amplificatio. Furthermore, the ten-year distance between both texts reveal the evolution of Mariana’s style in Latin. We will indicate the structural function of the locus amoenus inside the texts and deconstruct the structure. Finally, we will establish similarities between the texts as a means to indicate the aspects in which Mariana evolved in his writing, paying attention to the modifications that embellish the text by means of various rhetorical devices.