Introspection and Engagement in Propertius: A Study of Book 3

254 Pages·2018·16.42 MB·English

by  Jonathan Wallis

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INTROSPECTION AND ENGAGEMENT
IN PROPERTIUS
Propertius repositions Latin love elegy in his third collection. Nearly a dec-
ade into the Augustan Principate, the early counter-c ultural impulse of
Propertius’ first collections was losing its relevance. Challenged by the pub-
lication of Horace’s Odes, and by the imminent arrival of Virgil’s Aeneid,
in 23 BCE Propertius produced a radical collection of elegies which criti-
cally interrogates elegy’s own origins as a genre, and which directly faces off
Horatian lyric and Virgilian epic, as part of an ambitious claim to Augustan
pre- eminence. But this is no moment of cultural submission. In Book 3, ele-
gy’s key themes of love, fidelity and political independence are rebuilt from
the beginning as part of a subtle critique of emerging Augustan mores. This
book presents readings of fourteen individual elegies from Propertius Book
3, including nostalgic love poems, an elegiac hymn to Bacchus and a lament
for Marcellus, the recently dead nephew of Augustus.
JONATHAN WALLIS is a Lecturer in Classics at the University of Tasmania.
Jonathan’s research focuses on Latin poetry, and on Roman culture and its
reception. Jonathan also maintains a keen interest in Latin pedagogy. He is
currently leading the development of an innovative suite of digital materi-
als, with the aim of bringing Latin language and literature to new and wider
audiences.
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CAMBRIDGE CLASSICAL STUDIES
General editors
R. G. OSBORNE, W. M. BEARD, G. BETEGH,
J. P. T. CLACKSON, R. L. HUNTER, M. J. MILLETT,
S. P. OAKLEY, T. J. G. WHITMARSH
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INTROSPECTION AND ENGAGEMENT
IN PROPERTIUS
A Study of Book 3
JONATHAN WALLIS
University of Tasmania
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108417174
DOI: 10.1017/9781108265003
© Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge 2018
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2018
Printed in the United Kingdom by Clays, St Ives plc
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n- Publication Data
Names: Wallis, Jonathan, author.
Title: Introspection and engagement in Propertius : a study
of book 3 / Jonathan Wallis.
Other titles: Cambridge classical studies.
Description: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. |
Series: Cambridge classical studies | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017057295 | ISBN 9781108417174 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Propertius, Sextus. Elegiae. Liber 3. |
Elegiac poetry, Latin – History and criticism.
Classification: LCC PA6646.W355 2018 | DDC 874/.01–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017057295
ISBN 978- 1- 108- 41717- 4 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of URLs for external or third- party internet websites referred to in this publication
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
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CONTENTS

Preface page ix
Introduction 1
1 Turning Elegy Upside Down: Propertius 3.1– 3 22
2 Seeking Fides in Poets and Poetry: Propertius 3.6 46
3 Thematic Experimentation: Propertius 3.9– 11 63
4 Marriage and the Elegiac Woman: Propertius 3.12 93
5 Delays and Destinations: Propertius 3.16 118
6 A Hymn to Bacchus: Propertius 3.17 131
7 In Lament for Marcellus: Propertius 3.18 164
8 Renewing an Elegiac Contract: Propertius 3.20 187
9 Breaking up (with) Cynthia: Propertius 3.24 201
Epilogue: The Apotheosis of Amor: Propertius 3.22 217
Bibliography 225
General Index 236
Index Locorum 239
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