Introduction

The use of short forms (maxims, chreiai, proverbs, apophthegms, fables) in classical antiquity has been the subject of numerous studies in recent decades: from collections (Tosi 2017, Lelli 2021) to collective reflections (Funghi 2003-2004, Lelli 2011, Mauduit - Paré-Rey 2011, Robert - Zink 2020, Usi e riusi 2024), from formal analysis (Boscà Cuquerella 2023) to studies of the popular dimension (Morgan 2007) and of the contexts of manuscript transmission (Piccione 2017) — to cite only some of the main contributions. By organising a series of research events to be held between Lille and Rouen in 2026, we intend to create a forum for discussion to further research into short forms, their expressiveness and functions, their variety, their reusability, and their “universal” character — with renewed and particular attention to practices of use and reuse.

The first event (En contexte et hors contexte I) will take place in Lille on 27-28 April 2026 and will focus on dramatic and philosophical texts. The aim of the conference will be to problematise the relationship between form and context. The speakers will examine the ways in which the meaning of short forms is created and “expanded” in their original contexts of use and reception — for instance, in the case of drama, in the context of theatrical performance, or, in the case of philosophy, within the broader framework of the philosopher’s teaching and of the school. They will likewise investigate the dynamic interplay between this expansion and the “contraction” of meaning at the moment of selection and anthologisation, and its evolution in contexts of reuse — especially, though not exclusively, in educational settings. At the same time, the event will provide an opportunity to discuss how the different characteristics of the various types of short texts influence the construction of their meaning, as well as the ways in which this meaning is received. In this way, we intend to continue the reflection on the definitions and boundaries of the different short forms, anchoring it in the contexts of use and reuse. We aim to articulate this exploration with a methodological sensitivity that takes into account theories of reception and intertextuality, while also considering the interpretative challenges raised by performance, re-performance, and anthologisation. We will also examine the ontological dimension of short texts in pedagogical contexts: in teaching, short forms can serve as entry points to more demanding literary and philosophical developments, in a dual movement of enrichment and subsequent contraction.

Boscà Cuquerella, A. (2023) La gnome en Eurípides, Lausanne.

Funghi, M.S. (ed.) (2003-2004) Aspetti di letteratura gnomica nel mondo antico, I-II, Firenze.

Lelli, E. (ed.) (2009-2011) Παροιμιακῶς: Il proverbio in Grecia e a Roma, I-III, Pisa-Roma (= Philologia Antiqua 2-4).

Lelli, E. (2021) Proverbi, sentenze e massime di saggezza in Grecia e a Roma. Tutte le raccolte da Pitagora all'Umanesimo, Milano.

Mauduit, C., Paré-Rey, P. (eds.) (2011) Les maximes théâtrales en Grèce et à Rome : transferts, réécritures, remplois, Paris.

Morgan, T. (2007) Popular Morality in the Early Roman Empire, Cambridge.

Piccione, R.M. (2017) ‘Sentenze, antologie gnomiche e gnomologi’, in Corpus dei papiri filosofici greci e latini (CPF), II.3, Firenze, 3-24.

Robert, J.-N., Zink, M. (eds.) (2020) Les petites phrases. Puissance de la brièveté dans les littératures d'Orient et d'Occident, Paris (= Cahiers de la Villa Kérylos 31).

Tosi, R. (2017) Dizionario delle sentenze latine e greche (2nd ed.), Milano.

Usi e riusi di proverbi classici, Milano 2024 (= Aevum Antiquum N.S. 24).