Author Description
Consensus Holds That Lucretius Admired The Literary Prestige Of Homeric Epos, The Form That Ennius Famously Introduced To Latin Literature. However, Some Hold That Lucretius Disagreed With Ennius' Quasi-pythagorean Claim To Be Homer Reborn, And So Uniquely Qualified To Adapt Homeric Poetry To The Latin Language. Likewise, Received Wisdom Holds That Lucretius Followed In The Path Of Poets Writing In The Wake Of Ennius' Annales, Most Of Whom Employed An Ennian Style. However, Throughout The De Rerum Natura, Lucretius' Use Of Ennius' Annales As A Formal Model For A Long Discursive Poem In Epic Meter Was Neither Inevitable Nor Predictable, On The One Hand, Nor Meaningful In The Simple Way That Critical Consensus Has Always Maintained. Jason Nethercut Posits That Lucretius Selected Ennius As A Model Precisely To Dismantle The Values For Which He Claimed Ennius Stood, Including The Importance Of History As A Poetic Subject And Rome's Historical Achievement In Particular. As The First Book To Offer Substantial Analysis Of The Relationship Between Two Of The Ancient World's Most Impactful Poets, Ennius Noster: Lucretius And The Annales Fills An Important Gap Not Only In Lucretian Scholarship, But Also In Our Understanding Of Latin Literary History.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the complex, often adversarial relationship between the Roman poet Lucretius and his predecessor Ennius, challenging the long-held consensus that Lucretius was a simple follower of the Ennian tradition. Jason S. Nethercut, a scholar of classical literature, utilizes a rigorous analysis of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura to argue that the poet intentionally engaged with Ennius' Annales not as a disciple, but as a critic. By examining the formal and thematic choices made by Lucretius, the author demonstrates how the poet sought to dismantle the cultural and historical values associated with Ennian epic poetry.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A detailed comparative analysis of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura and Ennius' Annales.
- An examination of the role of history and Roman achievement as poetic subjects in Latin literature.
- A critical reassessment of the quasi-Pythagorean claims regarding poetic lineage and identity in the ancient world.
- A scholarly framework for understanding the evolution of Latin epic meter and discursive poetic structures.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars identify this work as a significant contribution to Latin literary history, noting its ability to fill a long-standing void in Lucretian scholarship. The text is recognized for its academic rigor and its capacity to challenge established interpretations of the relationship between these two foundational Roman poets.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
2020-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0197517706
ISBN-13:
9780197517703
Poetry
Philosophy
History
Literary Criticism
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