Prodesse et delectare
Prodesse et delectare ( Latin , " use and delight ") is a motto in literature , especially in the 18th century.
This was intended to emphasize the educational aspect of literature: books should be both entertaining and instructive for the reader. A typical example of such works are fables .
The saying is derived from the Ars Poetica of Horace from, is in the in verse 333 the following: " Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poetae. "Correctly translated, this means" The poets either want to use or to entertain ", in the sense of the exclusive either - or . This sentence is in no way about the statement that the poets wanted both at the same time. This is only expressed in the next verse: " aut simul et iucunda et idonea dicere vitae ", in German " or at the same time saying something pleasant and useful for life ". The statement of Horace is thus: poets want to either benefit or entertain or both in a work.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Herrmann, Horst .: The Enlightenment Philosophy for Dummies . 1st edition. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Bergstr 2011, ISBN 978-3-527-70705-8 , pp. 206 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 26, 2019]).