Lecture Notes: Transition from Aeneas to Virgil and the Rise of Neoteric Poetry

Background: Aeneas to Virgil

• Connecting back to week one.

• Considering the period between Aeneas and Virgil (approximately 150 years).

Timeline:

• Aeneas: Died in the first half of the 2nd century BCE. His death marks a significant point in Roman mythological history, setting the stage for the rise of Rome as detailed in epic poetry.

• Virgil: Lived about 150 years after Aeneas. Virgil's era is crucial as he synthesized earlier traditions into the Aeneid, a cornerstone of Roman literature.

• Ovid: A generation after Virgil. Ovid's work provides further insight into Roman mythology and culture, expanding on themes introduced by Virgil and others.

Epic Poetry Between Aeneas and Virgil:

• Limited surviving epic poetry from this period, making it challenging to fully understand the literary landscape between these figures.

• Focus primarily on Roman military campaigns, reflecting the militaristic expansion and conflicts that defined much of Roman history.

• Examples include:

  • Hosseus' Bellum Histricum: About Rome's wars in the area of modern-day Croatia during the third and second centuries BCE. This epic offers valuable details about Rome's military endeavors in the Balkans.

  • Epics about Julius Caesar's war in Gaul (50s BCE).

  • Cicero and Varro wrote epics about Caesar's Gallic Wars, showcasing the interest in Caesar's military achievements among Rome's elite.

  • Bibaculus, known as "bit of a drinker", also wrote epics during this time, indicating the diverse range of poets engaged in epic composition.

• The reason for losing the works are down to chance, good or bad luck. Very popular works endure, and works did not survive clearly due to not being copied out. The loss of these works limits our understanding of the period's literary and cultural context.

Hellenistic or Neoteric Poetry:

• Potential reason for fewer epics: rise in popularity of Hellenistic/Neoteric poetry. This shift in literary taste may explain the decline in epic production during this time.

• Neoteric: Greek word meaning "new poetry," emphasizing style and innovation. Neoteric poetry represented a departure from traditional epic forms and themes.

• Characteristics:

  • Shorter than epic poetry, aligning with the neoteric preference for brevity and conciseness.

  • Different meters, not necessarily hexameter, demonstrating a move away from traditional epic meter.

  • Focus on love, sex, friendship, dinner parties, and private lives of aristocratic men. This focus reflects the neoteric interest in personal and intimate subjects.

  • Examples:

  • Catullus: A famous neoteric poet writing in Latin. Catullus's poetry exemplifies the neoteric style and themes.

  • Sinner: Wrote Smyrna, dealing with the myth of Smyrna's incestuous relationship with her father. Smyrna represents the neoteric interest in exploring complex and transgressive themes.

  • Calvus: Mixed politics and public life into the neoteric tradition, showing how some poets integrated public and private concerns.

• Often critical and cynical about politics. This critical stance reflects the neoteric poets' engagement with contemporary issues.

• Poem 57 by Catullus contains abusive language towards Julius Caesar and Mamura, one of Caesar's sidekicks in Gaul, using vulgar terms (e.g., "buggers" and "catamite"). This poem exemplifies the neoteric poets' willingness to challenge authority and social norms.

• Caesar is said to have forgiven Catullus, either out of magnanimity or for good public relations, highlighting the complex relationship between poets and political figures.

Callimachean Ethic:

• Influenced by Callimachus, a Greek Hellenistic poet from the 3rd century BCE. Callimachus's influence shaped the development of neoteric poetry.

• Callimachus worked in the Library of Alexandria, solidifying his position as a major literary figure.

• Key figure in the movement away from traditional epic, advocating for new poetic forms and styles.

• Famous quote: $megabibion megakakon$ (a big book is a big bad thing). This quote encapsulates Callimachus's preference for concise and refined poetry.

• Advocated for short, sophisticated, and polished poetry, influencing the neoteric emphasis on brevity and elegance.

• His poetry is learned, making allusions to obscure myths and historical events, adding layers of meaning to his work.

Alexandria:

• Cultural center of the Mediterranean world during Callimachus's time. Its intellectual environment fostered innovation and creativity.

• Ruled by the Ptolemies, a dynasty that included Cleopatra VII. The Ptolemies supported the arts and sciences, contributing to Alexandria's cultural significance.

Influence on Virgil and Ovid:

• Virgil and Ovid are inheritors of both Homeric/Ennian epic traditions and neoteric poetry, blending different literary influences in their works.

• Commentaries are essential for understanding Virgil and Ovid due to complex allusions, requiring readers to unpack layers of meaning and reference.

• Appendices and glossaries can help identify references, aiding in the interpretation of their poetry.

Continued Epic Poetry in Greece:

• Epic poetry continued to be written in Greece, but it evolved, adapting to changing literary tastes and cultural contexts.

• Callimachus wrote a short epic in hexameter, indicating a move towards shorter and more concise epic forms.

• Apollonius of Rhodes wrote Argonautica, an epic about Jason and the Argonauts, is shortish epic. It contains information to fill the normal 24 book standard into four books, showing innovations in epic storytelling.

• The Roman epic is beginning to start as the Greeks are starting to diverge from it, marking a shift in epic tradition from Greece to Rome.

Roman Epic:

• Early Roman epic (e.g., Livius Andronicus, Aeneas) aligned with traditional Homeric epic, adhering to established epic conventions.

• Less influenced by the neoteric movement compared to Virgil and Ovid, maintaining a focus on grand narratives and heroic themes.

• Focused on incorporating Roman history into the Homeric epic framework, shaping Roman identity and national mythology.

Sinner's Smyrna:

• An epic poem in hexameter by a neoteric poet, blending epic form with neoteric themes and style.

• Deals with personal relationships (Smyrna's incestuous relationship with her father), reflecting the neoteric interest in intimate and often transgressive subjects.

• Embraced by neoteric poets for its interesting and polished style, showcasing the neoteric appreciation for elegance and refinement.

• Catullus celebrated the release of Smyrna, indicating the poem's significance within the neoteric literary community.

• Catullus criticizes verbose epics and considered them bad and would rather have them used to wrap up fish to signify it is not worth reading. Hortensius mentioned by Catullus in this regard, illustrating the neoteric critique of traditional epic.

The Aeneid:

• Often studied alongside Homeric epic but is more than "Homer in Latin.", representing a synthesis of epic and neoteric traditions.

• A sophisticated literary work influenced by poets like Catullus. The Aeneid reflects the culmination of various literary influences, shaping its unique character.

• Represents a combination of epic and neoteric traditions, blending grand narratives with stylistic innovation.