Anatomizing Civil War : studies in Lucan's epic technique / Martin T. Dinter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dinter, Martin T.

Contributor:

Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Epic poetry, Latin--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Latin.

Rome--History--Civil War, 49-45 B.C--Literature and the war.

Rome.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (197 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, [2012]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

" Imperial Latin epic has seen a renaissance of scholarly interest. This book illuminates the work of the poet Lucan, a contemporary of the emperor Nero. This maverick but socially prominent poet, whom Nero commanded to commit suicide at the age of 26, left an epic poem on the civil war between Caesar and Pompey that epitomizes the exuberance and stylistic experimentation of Neronian culture. This study focuses on Lucan's epic technique and traces his influence through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Martin Dinter's newest volume engages with Lucan's use of body imagery, sententiae, Fama (rumor), and open-endedness throughout his civil war epic. Although Lucan's Bellum Civile is frequently decried as a fragmented as well as fragmentary epic, this study demonstrates how Lucan uses devices other than teleology and cohesive narrative structure to bind together the many parts of his epic body. Anatomizing Civil War places at center stage characteristics of Lucan's work that have so far been interpreted as excessive, or as symptoms of an overly rhetorical culture indicating a lack of substance. By demonstrating that they all contribute to Lucan's poetic technique, Martin Dinter shows how they play a fundamental role in shaping and connecting the many episodes of the Bellum Civile that constitute Lucan's epic body. This important volume will be of interest to students of classics and comparative literature as well as literary scholars. All Greek and Latin passages have been translated"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Introduction

Aide-Mémoire: The Plot of Lucan's Bellum Civile

1. Lucan's Epic Body: Anatomizing Civil War

2. Embodiments: Lucan and Fama

3. Autarchic Limbs: Sententiae in Lucan

4. The Anatomy of Repetition

Bibliography

Index Locorum

General Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-172) and indexes.

CC BY-NC-ND

Description based on information from the publisher.

ISBN:

9780472901050

0472901052

9780472028719

0472028715

9781299159860

1299159869

OCLC:

828496174

Access Restriction:

Open Access Unrestricted online access