Σχήματα ἐμπερίβολα: studio di un τόπος retorico di Giuseppe Racendita alla luce della teoria epistolare greca e latina

The paper aims to investigate the meaning of the expression σχήματα ἐμπερίβολα in § XIV Περὶ ἐπιστολῶν of the Σύνοψις ῥητορικῆς by Joseph Rakendytes, a Byzantine monk of the 13th-14th cent. The meaning of the iunctura is not clear for the modern reader. However, a comparison of § VI of the Σύνοψις (on σχήματα) with Hermogenes’ remarks on περιβολή is helpful and leads to the assumption that Rakendytes was referring collectively to a whole group of figures, well known to his reader. The passage of the Σύνοψις on epistolary style is compared to other Greek and Latin sources. The analysis shows that these brief and highly topical texts, although belonging to different eras and environments, require a comparative study to be clearly understood.