La via dei satirii (Oratius satirorum scriptor)

A verse of the Ars poetica seems to offer the key to a better comprehension of the epithet Orazio satiro in Inf. IV, harking back to Horace’s portrait of himself as a Satyrorum scriptor and iudex. Medieval glosses on the epistle to the Pisos – glosses that Dante might have drawn on – document how Horace’s allusion to satyric drama elided into a supposed allusion to satire. With regard to the so-called ‘active genres’, medieval commentaries’ confusion or conflation here complicates and enriches the interaction of tragedy, satire, and comedy. From here, down the cammin silvestro begun in the selva selvaggia e aspra, traces of Horace shed light on the mixture of genres that orients and defines Dante’s never-before-attempted endeavor.