Author Description
Cover -- Greek Erotic Epigram: A Diachronic Approach -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- List Of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. Why Write A Book On The Diachronic Study Of Erotic Epigram? -- 2. The Contents Of The Book -- 1. The Lamp As A Vehicle For Exploring The Lover's Emotions -- 1. First Appearances Of The Lamp Motif In Asclepiades -- 2. The Development Of The Motif In The Meleagrian Epigrams -- 3. Outside The Meleagrian Garland: Philodemus And Statyllius Flaccus -- 4. Marcus Argentarius And The Lamp's Prophetic Abilities 5. The Survival Of The Lamp In The Cycle Of Agathias -- 6. Conclusions -- 2 Unboxing Sea And Nautical Metaphors -- 1.1 The Ship-prostituteepigrams And Their Intertextual Background -- 1.2 Alcaeus And The Ship-prostitute -- 1.3 Theognis And Aristophanes: Ship Imagery And The Ambiguities Of Control -- 2.1 The Ship-prostitutein Epigram: Hetaerae Described As Ships -- 2.2 Ships Described In Language Applicable To Hetaerae -- 3.1 Hellenistic Epigram And The Sea Of Love -- 3.2 The Heterosexual Epigrams -- 3.3 The Homoerotic Epigrams 4.1 The Survival Of Sea And Nautical Metaphors After Meleager's Garland -- 4.2 Sea Metaphors In Their Sexual Form: The Case Study Of Automedon Ap 11.29 -- 4.3 Further Examples Of Sexual Sea Metaphors: The Anonymous Ap 11.220 And Rufinus Ap 5.35 -- 4.4 The Sea Of Love In Macedonius Consul Ap 5.235 -- 5. Conclusions -- 3 Comparing The Beloved With The Supreme Goddess Of Beauty -- 1. The Beloved's Praise In The Poetic Tradition: The Limitations Of Hyperbole -- 2. Implied Comparison With Aphrodite: Nossis' Dedicatory Epigrams 3. Hellenistic Queens And Aphrodite: Three Posidippean Epigrams And Asclepiades Or Posidippus Apl (a) 68 -- 4. Asclepiades Or Posidippus Ap 5.194: Indirect Links Between A Non-royalwoman And Aphrodite -- 5.1 Antipater Of Sidon: Staying Within Limits (ap 9.567 And 7.14) -- 5.2 Antipater Of Sidon: Stretching The Boundaries (ap 7.218) -- 6. The 'apotheosis' Of The Motif In The Me
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the diachronic evolution and thematic consistency of erotic motifs within the tradition of Greek epigrammatic poetry. Maria Kanellou, a scholar of classical literature, utilizes a rigorous philological framework to trace how specific imagery—such as the lamp, nautical metaphors, and divine comparisons—functions as a vehicle for expressing desire and social status across centuries of Greek writing. By examining texts from the Hellenistic period through the Byzantine era, the author argues that these motifs are not merely decorative but serve as essential structural components in the construction of erotic identity.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A diachronic analysis of the lamp motif from Asclepiades to the Cycle of Agathias.
- An examination of nautical and sea-based metaphors in relation to hetaerae and sexual desire.
- A study of the rhetorical strategies used to compare human subjects with the goddess Aphrodite.
- Comparative readings of Hellenistic poets including Meleager, Philodemus, and Antipater of Sidon.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on erotic epigram and does not provide a comprehensive survey of all Greek lyric poetry.
- The analysis is restricted to specific recurring motifs rather than a broad historical overview of all epigrammatic themes.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of classical philology frequently note the precision of Kanellou’s intertextual analysis and her ability to map the development of tropes across disparate historical periods. Experts highlight this as a valuable contribution to the study of Hellenistic and Imperial Greek poetry, particularly for its focus on the intersection of poetic convention and social reality.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
2025-01-01
Publisher:
New York : Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0191853542
ISBN-13:
9780191853548
Poetry
Literary Criticism
Cultural History
Criticism history
Gender Studies