The Theory of Topoi in Erasmus and Tasso

Abstract

This contribution offers a theoretical and methodological insight into the main findings of the author's doctoral thesis, Topoi bei Erasmus und Tasso. The document is structured into two complementary parts: an introductory interview focusing on the application of topics and argumentation theory in European literary history, and a methodological essay that defines and categorizes "material topoi" and "aesthetic-linguistic topoi". Through the examination of rhetorical functions—which highlights the inventive application of classical sources (Plato, Quintilian) in Tasso's dialogues and the function of auctoritas in Erasmus—and the reference to a significant early modern historical testimony (Thomas More), the author provides clear operational criteria for textual analysis, outlining the perspectives of the topical method in the humanities and linguistics.This work was originally prepared for the project "Forschung Lehren" at the ZOERR center of the University of Tübingen.