Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost
This paper examines the Nemean episode of Statius’ Thebaid (4.646-7.104). It is argued, against recent interpretations, that the episodeis not simply a Callimachean digression from martial themes : the hostilities between Argives and Nemeans recall the bella plus quam ciuilia between Caesar and Pomp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Université Lille-3
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Dictynna |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/dictynna/1125 |
| _version_ | 1819022007836082176 |
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| author | Jörn Soerink |
| author_facet | Jörn Soerink |
| author_sort | Jörn Soerink |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines the Nemean episode of Statius’ Thebaid (4.646-7.104). It is argued, against recent interpretations, that the episodeis not simply a Callimachean digression from martial themes : the hostilities between Argives and Nemeans recall the bella plus quam ciuilia between Caesar and Pompey ; the incursion of the Argives violently destroys Nemea’s pastoral landscape ; and Nemea becomes the site of quintessentially epic events. The snake that kills Opheltes looks back to Vergil’s Calabrian water-snake in Georgics 3 (and the Culex) : Vergil’s didactic persona had warned not to fall asleep when dangerous snakes are around. The death of the child can also be read as a pessimistic inversion of Vergil’s fourth Eclogue. On a poetic level, we witness the epic dissolution of Nemea’s pastoral world. On a political level, the Nemean episode seems to suggest the impossibility of an Augustan Golden Age in the Flavian poem’s disturbing universe of nefas. Nemea is Statius’ paradise lost. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T04:16:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46c084532bff4dbb93008350f5ac1f21 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1969-4202 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T04:16:09Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Université Lille-3 |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Dictynna |
| spelling | doaj.art-46c084532bff4dbb93008350f5ac1f212022-12-21T19:16:18ZdeuUniversité Lille-3Dictynna1969-42022016-01-0112Statius’ Nemea / paradise lostJörn SoerinkThis paper examines the Nemean episode of Statius’ Thebaid (4.646-7.104). It is argued, against recent interpretations, that the episodeis not simply a Callimachean digression from martial themes : the hostilities between Argives and Nemeans recall the bella plus quam ciuilia between Caesar and Pompey ; the incursion of the Argives violently destroys Nemea’s pastoral landscape ; and Nemea becomes the site of quintessentially epic events. The snake that kills Opheltes looks back to Vergil’s Calabrian water-snake in Georgics 3 (and the Culex) : Vergil’s didactic persona had warned not to fall asleep when dangerous snakes are around. The death of the child can also be read as a pessimistic inversion of Vergil’s fourth Eclogue. On a poetic level, we witness the epic dissolution of Nemea’s pastoral world. On a political level, the Nemean episode seems to suggest the impossibility of an Augustan Golden Age in the Flavian poem’s disturbing universe of nefas. Nemea is Statius’ paradise lost.http://journals.openedition.org/dictynna/1125CallimachusepicGolden AgeintertextualityLucanpastoral |
| spellingShingle | Jörn Soerink Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost Dictynna Callimachus epic Golden Age intertextuality Lucan pastoral |
| title | Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost |
| title_full | Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost |
| title_fullStr | Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost |
| title_full_unstemmed | Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost |
| title_short | Statius’ Nemea / paradise lost |
| title_sort | statius nemea paradise lost |
| topic | Callimachus epic Golden Age intertextuality Lucan pastoral |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/dictynna/1125 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jornsoerink statiusnemeaparadiselost |