Ummidia i Minicja. Dwa konterfekty niewieście Pliniusza Młodszego (Epist. VII 24; V 16)

Abstract

The paper analyses Pliny the Younger’s two descriptions of women, his letter VII 24, written after the death of the old aristocratic lady Ummidia Quadratilla, and V 16, refecting upon the premature end of a young girl, Minicia Marcella. In both these texts, the dead women play a prominent role and are given a detailed characterization (more sympathetic in the case of Minicia, more nuanced in the case of Ummidia), yet they are not the only, or even the most important, points of reference. In VII 24 it is Ummidia’s stern grandson who proves to be the letter’s main character, and his personality is revealed through the contrast with his joyful grandmother. In V 16 Pliny’s focus shifts from the girl to her father whose grief dominates the second part of the letter.