Statius' Thebaid and the Poetics of Civil WarThis study focuses on ways in which Statius' epic Thebaid, a poem about the civil war between Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices, reflects the theme of internal discord in its narrative strategies. At the same time that Statius reworks the Homeric and Virgilian epic traditions, he engages with Hellenistic poetic ideals as exemplified by Callimachus and the Roman Callimachean poets, especially Ovid. The result is a tension between the impulse towards the generic expectations of warfare and the desire for delay and postponement of such conflict. Ultimately, Statius adheres to the mythic paradigm of the mutual fratricide, but he continues to employ competing strategies that call attention to the fictive nature of any project of closure and conciliation. In the process, the poem offers a new mode of epic closure that emphasises individual means of resolution. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Contents
Gods humans and the literary tradition | 25 |
Beginning | 50 |
Nemea | 76 |
Middle | 97 |
Heroic deaths | 124 |
End | 152 |
Epilogue | 178 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Achilles adjective Adrastus Aeneas Aeneid Aetia aetiological aetion alludes allusions Altar Amphiaraus Apollo Argia Argive Argos arma Asopus Augustan Augustus Barchiesi battle benefit Callimachean Callimachus calls attention Cambridge Capaneus catalogue Catullus chthonic civil clementia closure conflict Coroebus created Cyclopes Delarue delay depiction discusses divine ekphrasis Ennius epic episode Eteocles Feeney fight figure final first flame Flavian Gigantomachy gods Greek Hardie Harmonia Hecale Hercules hero Hippomedon Homeric hymn Iliad influence Jupiter Jupiter’s kaŠ Linus literary Lucan Mars martial Massimilla mentions Metamorphoses Moreover Morton Braund 1996 myth mythic narrative interest necklace Nemea Olympian Opheltes Ovid Ovid’s Oxford Parthenopaeus poem poet poetic poetry Polynices proem Propertius Python recalls reflects river Roman Rome scene seventh book shield significant Silv Silvae simile Smolenaars 1994 specifically Statius story suggests Telchines Theb Thebaid Theban Thebes themes Theseus tibi Tisiphone tradition Turnus Tydeus underworld Venus verses Vessey Virgil Virgilian Vulcan words
Bibliographic information
| Title | Statius' Thebaid and the Poetics of Civil War |
| Author | Charles McNelis |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 2007 |
| ISBN | 1139462911, 9781139462914 |
| Subjects | › History / General Literary Criticism / Ancient & Classical |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |