Page 230 - Gregor Pobežin, Rimski zgodovinar in pripovedno besedilo, Pripovedno žarišče v Salustijevih monografijah, Dissertationes 16
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Rimski zgodovinar in pripovedno besedilo
his omniscience, however it is precisely through the internal point of view
of a secondary focalizer that all the restrictions of knowledge are lifted.
Postulating that narratology and its hermeneutical tools are but a plat-
form for further analysis in historiography, this paper then concentrates
on narrative techniques in the most important section, the analysis of the
text of both monographs. The narrative techniques discussed are mainly
the narrator’s persona in the prologues of both monographs and the narra-
tor’s “dialogue”, as we called it, with the narratee throughout the text. One
of the main features of this process is shifting the point of view or rather,
the narrative focus which proves to be extremely effective in characteriz-
ing different characters throughout the narrative. It was shown that while
some characters are openly characterized by the narrator, the primary fo-
calizer, as morally depraved, they are, on the contrary, characterized rath-
er positively by secondary focalizers. This is most evident in the case of
Catilina, the main character of Sallust’s first monograph, The Catilinari-
an Conspiracy. More so, some characters function as secondary focalizing
agents while being the focalized object at the same time; these sequences of
their own internal focalization can prove to be very damaging to the perso-
na of the focalizing agent/focalized object. One such case is Marius in the
Jugurthine Disorder.
The last chapter summarizes major findings of the analysis in the previ-
ous chapters; comparing these findings to some more traditional and well
accepted views of Sallust’s works shows that some of these views need re-
vising: through detailed analysis we’ve been able to show that some of the
opinions expressed in the text which used to be connected directly to the
author himself, actually apply only to the function of the narrator and
not the author; such case, for instance, is the excursus on Africa in The
Jugurthine Disorder and even more so the position of the narrating persona
to Caesar in The Catilinarian Conspiracy. In this latter example which of-
ten provided the foundation of some severe accusations by some research-
ers against Sallust, narratological approach to textual analysis in historiog-
raphy proved to be indispensable: while this study does nothing to com-
bat the fact that Sallust was politically closely connected to Caesar, there is
no doubt that the narrator in The Catilinarian Conspiracy, while depicting
Caesar favourably through a long sequence of internal focalization, still
openly hints against Caesar’s vices as primary focalizer. Another similar
case is Sallust’s position to Cicero. It has been largely discussed and argued
that there has been great animosity between the two men; under the in-
fluence of the famous invective against Cicero it would seem undisputable
his omniscience, however it is precisely through the internal point of view
of a secondary focalizer that all the restrictions of knowledge are lifted.
Postulating that narratology and its hermeneutical tools are but a plat-
form for further analysis in historiography, this paper then concentrates
on narrative techniques in the most important section, the analysis of the
text of both monographs. The narrative techniques discussed are mainly
the narrator’s persona in the prologues of both monographs and the narra-
tor’s “dialogue”, as we called it, with the narratee throughout the text. One
of the main features of this process is shifting the point of view or rather,
the narrative focus which proves to be extremely effective in characteriz-
ing different characters throughout the narrative. It was shown that while
some characters are openly characterized by the narrator, the primary fo-
calizer, as morally depraved, they are, on the contrary, characterized rath-
er positively by secondary focalizers. This is most evident in the case of
Catilina, the main character of Sallust’s first monograph, The Catilinari-
an Conspiracy. More so, some characters function as secondary focalizing
agents while being the focalized object at the same time; these sequences of
their own internal focalization can prove to be very damaging to the perso-
na of the focalizing agent/focalized object. One such case is Marius in the
Jugurthine Disorder.
The last chapter summarizes major findings of the analysis in the previ-
ous chapters; comparing these findings to some more traditional and well
accepted views of Sallust’s works shows that some of these views need re-
vising: through detailed analysis we’ve been able to show that some of the
opinions expressed in the text which used to be connected directly to the
author himself, actually apply only to the function of the narrator and
not the author; such case, for instance, is the excursus on Africa in The
Jugurthine Disorder and even more so the position of the narrating persona
to Caesar in The Catilinarian Conspiracy. In this latter example which of-
ten provided the foundation of some severe accusations by some research-
ers against Sallust, narratological approach to textual analysis in historiog-
raphy proved to be indispensable: while this study does nothing to com-
bat the fact that Sallust was politically closely connected to Caesar, there is
no doubt that the narrator in The Catilinarian Conspiracy, while depicting
Caesar favourably through a long sequence of internal focalization, still
openly hints against Caesar’s vices as primary focalizer. Another similar
case is Sallust’s position to Cicero. It has been largely discussed and argued
that there has been great animosity between the two men; under the in-
fluence of the famous invective against Cicero it would seem undisputable
