Statius Thebaid VII

Statius Thebaid VII PDF Author: Johannes Jacobus Louis Smolenaars
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004100299
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
This commentary examines in close detail Statius' mannered style and analyses the text as a system of intertextual references. Passages from Homer to Valerius Flaccus were exploited by Statius for his challenging adaptations of 'typical' scenes. The identification of these sources offers the key to interpret the poet's artistic intentions.

Statius Thebaid VII

Statius Thebaid VII PDF Author: Johannes Jacobus Louis Smolenaars
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004100299
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
This commentary examines in close detail Statius' mannered style and analyses the text as a system of intertextual references. Passages from Homer to Valerius Flaccus were exploited by Statius for his challenging adaptations of 'typical' scenes. The identification of these sources offers the key to interpret the poet's artistic intentions.

Thebaid, Books I-VII

Thebaid, Books I-VII PDF Author: Publius Papinius Statius
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674012080
Category : Epic poetry, Latin
Languages : la
Pages : 488

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Book Description


The Thebaid

The Thebaid PDF Author: Publius Papinius Statius
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801886362
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
A classical epic of fratricide and war, the Thebaid retells the legendary conflict between the sons of Oedipus—Polynices and Eteocles—for control of the city of Thebes. The Latin poet Statius reworks a familiar story from Greek myth, dramatized long before by Aeschylus in his tragedy Seven against Thebes. Statius chose his subject well: the Rome of his day, ruled by the emperor Domitian, was not too distant from the civil wars that had threatened the survival of the empire. Published in 92 A.D., the Thebaid was an immediate success, and its fame grew in succeeding centuries. It reached its peak of popularity in the later Middle Ages and Renaissance, influencing Dante, Chaucer, and perhaps Shakespeare. In recent times, however, it has received perhaps less attention than it deserves, in large part because there has been no accessible, dynamic translation of the work into English. Charles Stanley Ross offers a compelling version of the Thebaid rendered into forceful, modern English. Casting Statius's Latin hexameter into a lively iambic pentameter more natural to the modern ear, Ross frees the work from the archaic formality that has marred previous translations. His translation reinvigorates the Thebaid as a whole: its meditative first half and its violent second half; its intimate portrayal of defeat and retribution, and the need to seek justice at any cost. In a wide-ranging introduction, Ross provides an overview of the poem: its composition, reception and legacy; its major themes and literary influences; and its place in Statius' life. And in a helpful series of notes, he offers background information on the major characters and incidents. -- Paolo Asso

Statius Thebaid VII

Statius Thebaid VII PDF Author: J.J.L. Smolenaars
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004329390
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 508

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Book Description
The epic poem the Thebaid by P. Papinius Statius, written about AD 80 to 92, deals with the fraternal strife between Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices for the mastery of Thebes. Book VII describes the forced march of the Seven and their arrival at Thebes, Jocasta's vain attempt at mediation and Amphiaraus' spectacular katabasis. This book is the first which deals with Thebaid VII since Barth (1664) and Amar & Lemaire (1825-30). Apart from being a commentary in the philological sense, it examines in close detail the poet's mannered style and analyses the text as a system of intertextual references. In addition to Homer and Vergil, specific passages from Euripides, Lucan, Seneca and especially Valerius Flaccus were exploited by Statius to create his challenging imitation. The identification of these sources offers the key to interpret and evaluate the poet's artistic intentions. The Introduction discusses Statius' technique of multiple imitation. The information brought together has been made easily accessible by full indexes and an appendix listing the passages imitated by Statius.

Statius' Thebaid and the Poetics of Civil War

Statius' Thebaid and the Poetics of Civil War PDF Author: Charles McNelis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139462911
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
This 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.

Thebaid

Thebaid PDF Author: Statius
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0801458080
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 541

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Book Description
The Thebaid, a Latin epic in twelve books by Statius (c. 45–96 C. E.) reexamines events following the abdication of Oedipus, focusing on the civil war between the brothers Eteocles, King of Thebes, and Polynices, who comes at the head of an army from Argos to claim his share of royal power. The poem is long—each of the twelve books comprises over eight hundred lines—and complex, and it exploits a broad range of literary works, both Greek and Latin. Severely curtailed though he was by the emperor Domitian and his Reign of Terror, Statius nevertheless created a meditation on autocratic rule that is still of political interest today. Popular in its own time and much admired in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance—most notably by Dante and Chaucer—the poem fell into obscurity and has, for readers of English, been poorly served by translators. Statius composed his poem in dactylic hexameters, the supreme verse form in antiquity. In his hands, this venerable line is flexible, capable of subtle emphases and dramatic shifts in tempo; it is an expressive, responsive medium. In this new and long-awaited translation the poet Jane Wilson Joyce employs a loose, six-beat line in her English translation, which allows her to reveal something of the original rhythm and of the interplay between sentence structure and verse framework. The clarity of Joyce's translation highlights the poem's superb versification, sophisticated use of intertextuality, and bold formal experimentation and innovation. A substantial introduction and annotations make this epic accessible to students of all levels.

Seven Against Thebes

Seven Against Thebes PDF Author: Aeschylus
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198020155
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 103

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Book Description
The formidable talents of Anthony Hecht, one of the most gifted of contemporary American poets, and Helen Bacon, a classical scholar, are here brought to bear on this vibrant translation of Aeschylus' much underrated tragedy The Seven Against Thebes. The third and only remaining play in a trilogy dealing with related events, The Seven Against Thebes tells the story of the Argive attempt to claim the Kingdom of Thebes, and of the deaths of the brothers Eteocles and Polyneices, each by the others hand. Long dismissed by critics as ritualistic and lacking in dramatic tension, Seven Against Thebes is revealed by Hecht and Bacon as a work of great unity and drama, one exceptionally rich in symbolism and imagery.

The Mythic Voice of Statius

The Mythic Voice of Statius PDF Author: William J. Dominik
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004099722
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
This critical study of Statius' "Thebaid" focuses on the central theme of power how it is exercised on the supernatural and human levels, the consequences of its pursuit and abuse in terms of the human condition, and the question of its contemporary relevance.

The Poetry of Statius

The Poetry of Statius PDF Author: Johannes Jacobus Louis Smolenaars
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004171347
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
The Roman poet P. Papinius Statius (ca. 45-96) is the author of two epics (the "Thebaid" and the unfinished "Achilleid") and a large corpus of occasional verse ("Silvae"). This poetry, long seen as derivative or decadent, is increasingly appreciated for the daring and originality of its responses both to the Greek and Latin literary tradition and to the contemporary Roman world. This volume offers the papers delivered at a symposium on Statius (Amsterdam 2005) by leading scholars in the field from Europe and North America. These papers demonstrate the fascination of Statius' poetry on account of the poet's vast knowledge of Greek and Latin tragedy, his rapid narrative, psychological acumen, brilliant eulogies, and pessimistic views on gods and men. The focus of the collection is on literary technique in the "Thebaid," on socio-historical aspects of the "Silvae," and on the reception of Statius in European literature and scholarship.

Brill's Companion to Statius

Brill's Companion to Statius PDF Author: William J. Dominik
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004284702
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 722

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Book Description
Brill’s Companion to Statius is the first companion volume to be published on arguably the most important Roman poet of the Flavian period. Thirty-four newly commissioned chapters from international experts provide a comprehensive overview of recent approaches to Statius, discuss the fundamental issues and themes of his poetry, and suggest new fruitful areas for research. All of his works are considered: the Thebaid, his longest extant epic; the Achilleid, his unfinished epic; and the Silvae, his collected short poetry. Particular themes explored include the social, cultural, and political issues surrounding his poetry; his controversial aesthetic; the influence of his predecessors upon his poetry; and the scholarly and literary reception of his poetry in subsequent ages to the present.