Monnica ficta – the literary construction of the Vita Monnicae in the Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34019/2318-3446.2022.38418Keywords:
Monnica, Augustine of Hippo, etymologyAbstract
It is in the text of Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo, that practically all records related to the existence of Monica, his mother, are found. However, the literary analysis of these data reveals a deep intertextuality with the original Latin classics and biblical texts, which allows the perception of a great artificiality in the narrative of his biographical description. After all, on the one hand, Monica bears Virgilian hypotextual traits from Dido, Euryalus' mother and Anchises; on the other hand, she is described under the allusions by Paul of Tarsus and Christ. Furthermore, the uncertainties regarding the origin of her name, combined with a new possibility of etymological roots presented here, emphasize the exemplary character of this supposed Vita Monnicae, whose protagonist became the Christian paradigm of motherhood. Thus, Monica's biographical account could endorse the entire devotional practice initiated in the 15th century, due to the explicit interest of the Holy See and the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine.
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