INTRODUCTION

A literary work of art, or a more or less self-contained part of it, can be analysed with the help of the categories of unity and variety, or, otherwise expressed, constancy and progress, or theme(s) and variations. Such an analysis will take into account both the component parts or elements of the work in themselves, and their function in the whole. It can contribute to a better insight into the artistic composition and the full meaning of these elements. By ‘full meaning’ I understand their meaning at different levels, their undertones and overtones. It may also help to read ‘between the lines’ without losing ourselves in vain speculation. In the case of an author like Tacitus who made ‘emphasis’ (in the ancient rhetorical meaning) a major device, an effort to read between the lines is a prerequisite for any serious reader.

If we now turn to Tacitus' prologues, we first realize that they answer to the description of ‘more or less self-contained parts’ of his works. In the second place their literary ‘situation’ is completely different from that of the historical narratio, and more akin to that of the title of the work. In a way, they can be defined as extended titles, insofar as they too contain information on the author and the subject. In the prologue, the author presents this information in a personal address to his reader, whereas in the narratio, the author of a historical work disappears more or less behind his work and lets the events mostly speak for themselves – at least, that is the fiction.