Persius on poetic (in) digestion
Date
2004
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies
Abstract
As a satirist, Persius is strongly opposed to the grand themes of epic and tragedy. In the first 29 lines of Satire 5 (cast in the form of a dialogue between the poet and his friend,
Cornutus), Persius is mainly concerned with the style and themes of contemporary epic and tragedy (1-9), metaphorically linking the process of contemporary literary production (with special reference to tragic writers) and the consumption of ghastly, cannibalistic banquets dished up by tragic writers and actors. He then justifies his approach to his own poetry and the appropriate style for the satirist (10-29). Although reference will be made in passing to the whole of lines 1-29, this paper will focus on Satire 5:1-9 and 17-18 by
discussing the meanings and nuances of key words first and then interpreting each pericope as a unit.
Description
CITATION: Zietsman, J. C. 2004. Persius on poetic (in) digestion. Akroterion, 49:73-88, doi:10.7445/49-0-89.
The original publication is available at http://akroterion.journals.ac.za
The original publication is available at http://akroterion.journals.ac.za
Keywords
Persius -- Criticism and interpretation, Verse satire, Latin -- Translations into English, Verse satire, Latin -- History and criticism
Citation
Zietsman, J. C. 2004. Persius on poetic (in) digestion. Akroterion, 49:73-88, doi:10.7445/49-0-89