Catullus in Verona: A Reading of the Elegiac Libellus, Poems 65-116Ohio State University Press, 2003 - 256 pages Gaius Valerius Catullus is one of Rome's greatest surviving poets and also one of the most popular Latin authors. Comprehensive treatments of his work have been hindered, however, by the problems posed by the Catutllan collection as it has come down to us. Although many scholars now believe that Catullus did publish his verse in one or more small volumes (libelli), the theory that these books were rearranged after his death means that individual pieces continue to be read and analyzed separately, without reference to their placement within the collection. Skinner challenges this theory of posthumous editorship by offering a unified reading of Catullus' elegiac poetry (poems 65-116 in our collection) and arguing that it constitutes what was once a separately circulated libellus whose authorial arrangement has been preserved intact. Purportedly issued from the poet's native city, Verona, to his Roman readership, the volume presents itself as a valedictory. This reading of the elegiac collection represents a major departure in Catullan studies. The methodological contention that Catullus' elegiac poems are better approached as a single cohesive poetic statement makes this book a valuable new contribution to Catullan scholarship. |
Contents
Carmina Battiadae | 1 |
The Veronese Suite | 29 |
Lesbia and Language | 60 |
Copyright | |
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Catullus in Verona: A Reading of the Elegiac Libellus, Poems 65-116 Marilyn B. Skinner Limited preview - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
addressee aesthetic Aetia Ajax Allius allusion amicitia amor appears Aristaenetus Arrius artistic associated atque attempt audience Aufillena brother Caelius Callimachean Callimachus Calvus carmina Catullan Catullus Cicero Cinna Cisalpine Gaul Clodius collection Coma Berenices context corpus couplet critical death discourse distich domus elegiac elegiac libellus elegy emotional Ennius epic epigrams epyllion erotic exemplum expression figure final Fordyce Gellius genre Greek Hortalus implications incest interpretation intertextual invective Janan Juventius language Laodamia Latin Lesbia liber Catulli literary lover Mamurra meaning ment metaphor metonymic mihi mistress moral motif munera narrative neoteric observes Ovid passage Philodemus pietas poem 65 poet poet's poetic poetry political polymetric programmatic Protesilaus Quintius quod reader reading recusatio reference rhetorical Roman Rome Rufus seems sequence sequential sexual simile Skinner social speak speaker speech Teucer textual thematic theme Thomson tibi tion trope Verona Veronese verse Wiseman words καὶ μὲν