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a cultural monument, because there is a difference between writing a letter to a friend and writing history for posterity." In fact, as we well know, the letter was already written for posterity, but to become effective (as it did) it had to conceal its purpose from its Model Readers.
Fortunately, every text is always, more or less consciously, conceived for two kinds of Model Reader. The first is supposed to cooperate in actualizing the content of the text; the second is supposed to be able to describe (and enjoy) the way in which the first Model Reader has been textually produced. One wonders whether Pliny the Younger would have preferred a Reader accepting his glorious product (monument to the Elder) or a Reader realizing his glorifying production (monument to the Younger).
Note
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1. Naturally, the Model Reader foreseen by the Younger is the Naive or Semiosic one (see above, ch. 3, section 4).

 
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