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Apollonius' Argonautica
A Callimachean Epic
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M.M. DeForest
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
1994
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About this book
The Argonautica was said to have been the source of a quarrel between Apollonius, who wrote what looks like an epic poem, and Callimachus, who denounced the writing of epic poetry. Although the quarrel did not take place in the real world, its issue controls the poem. The heroes are determined to take part in a Homeric epic, which the Callimachean narrator refuses to write.
Drawing on the methods of modern literary theorists but eschewing the jargon, DeForest shows how Apollonius uses the literary dispute in Alexandria to give a three-dimensional quality to his poem. The amusing conflict between heroes and narrator turns serious when the levels of narrative split apart and Medea steps into the gap as a free-standing figure, the forerunner of powerful women in fiction.
Drawing on the methods of modern literary theorists but eschewing the jargon, DeForest shows how Apollonius uses the literary dispute in Alexandria to give a three-dimensional quality to his poem. The amusing conflict between heroes and narrator turns serious when the levels of narrative split apart and Medea steps into the gap as a free-standing figure, the forerunner of powerful women in fiction.
Author / Editor information
Mary DeForest, Ph.D. (1981) in Classics, University of Colorado, has published articles both on classical writers and on the creative use of classical models in the works of Jane Austen, Kenneth Grahame, P.L. Travers, and Fay Weldon.
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
July 17, 2018
eBook ISBN:
9789004329478
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
160
eBook ISBN:
9789004329478
Audience(s) for this book
Those of graduate level and above interested in classical literature, women's studies, comparative literature, and intellectual history.
