Apollonius' Argonautica : a Callimachean epic /
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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.
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1 online resource (160 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-157) and index. :
9789004329478 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The renewal of epic : responses to Homer in the Argonautica of Apollonius /
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The Renewal of Epic considers various modes of allusion to Homer in the Argonautica of Apollonius, dealing not only with similarities in phraseology but also with thematic and structural resemblances. After an introduction, two chapters discuss Apollonian techniques in treating repeated Homeric scenes: sacrifice, shipwreck, boxing and battle. The central section of the work considers the multiple links between the adventures of the Argonauts and Odysseus' wanderings. A final chapter explores Apollonius' innovative treatment of the divine, both generally and in particular scenes. The work shows convincingly that the Argonautica reproduces many of the patterns which have been found in the Iliad and Odyssey . It demonstrates the presence of allusion at every level in the poem, linking it to its predecesors and acting as an essential interpretative aid to the reader.
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1 online resource (x, 335 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 306-317) and indexes. :
9789004329775 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.