Table Of ContentPOETRY AND POETICS IN THE PRESOCRATIC
PHILOSOPHERS
OfthePresocraticthinkerstraditionallycreditedwiththefoundation
ofGreekphilosophy,Xenophanes,ParmenidesandEmpedoclesare
exceptionalforwritinginverse.Thisisthefirstbook-lengthliterary-
criticalstudyoftheirwork.Itlocatesthesurvivingfragmentsintheir
performative and wider cultural contexts, applying intertextual and
intratextual analyses in order to reconstruct the significance and
impact they conveyed for ancient audiences and readers. Building
oninsightsfromliterarytheoryandthephilosophyofliterature,the
book sheds new light on these authors’ philosophical projects and
enriches our appreciation of their works as literary artefacts. It also
expands our knowledge of the genres in which they wrote, of the
literarycultureoftheWesternGreekworld,andofthedevelopment
ofGreekpoeticsfromtheArchaictotheClassicalperiods,exposing
theinfluenceofthesethinkersonmorefamousSophisticandPlatonic
ideasaboutliterature.
tom mackenzie isaResearchFellowintheDepartmentofGreek
andLatinatUniversityCollegeLondon.
POETRY AND POETICS IN
THE PRESOCRATIC
PHILOSOPHERS
Reading Xenophanes, Parmenides and Empedocles as
Literature
TOM MACKENZIE
UniversityCollegeLondon
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Firstpublished2021
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
names:Mackenzie,Tom(Classicist),author.
title:PoetryandpoeticsinthePresocraticphilosophers:readingXenophanes,
ParmenidesandEmpedoclesasliterature/TomMackenzie.
othertitles:ReadingXenophanes,Parmenides,andEmpedoclesasliterature
description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom:CambridgeUniversityPress,2021.|Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
identifiers:lccn2021000634(print)|lccn2021000635(ebook)|ISBN9781108843935
(hardcover)|isbn9781108925846(paperback)|isbn9781108921084(ebook)
subjects:lcsh:Xenophanes,approximately570B.C.-approximately478B.C.|
Parmenides.|Empedocles.|Didacticpoetry,Greek–Historyandcriticism.|
Greekpoetry–Historyandcriticism.|Pre-Socraticphilosophers.
classification:lccpa3022.d5m332021(print)|lccpa3022.d5(ebook)|
ddc881/.0109–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021000634
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021000635
isbn978-1-108-84393-5Hardback
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For my mother and the memory of my father
Contents
Acknowledgements pageix
ListofAbbreviations xi
NoteonFragmentNumbers xiii
Introduction
PhilosophyandPoetry,TruthandSymbolism 1
1 Aims,MethodsandAssumptions 1
2 Truth,SymbolismandSublimePerspectivesinEarlyGreekSong 9
3 Poetics 20
1 Xenophanes 24
1 Introduction 24
2 XenophanesandtheHexameterGenre 27
a EpistemologyandtheImmersiveWorldoftheText 29
b Xenophanes’TheologyandtheLanguageofHexameterPoetry 34
c TheAttacksonHomerandHesiod 41
3 Xenophanes’Elegies 46
a Xenophanesasa‘WanderingPoet’ 49
b D61=B2 52
c D59=B1 56
4 XenophaneanElegiesandXenophaneanHexameters 61
5 Conclusion 63
2 Parmenides 65
1 Introduction 65
2 PoetryandParmenides’Philosophy 67
3 PoetryandDeception 70
a DeceptionandtheDoxa 70
b TheSirens 73
c DeceptionandtheProem 76
4 ProfoundVisionsandSublimeEmotions 78
a SeeingtheUnseeable 78
b TheVision 80
c PerspectiveandCharacter 82
vii
viii Contents
d TheEmotionalTrajectoryofthePoem 84
e ParmenidesandtheSublime 87
f MysticInitiation 90
g TheReceptionofParmenides’Poem 91
h TheEmotionsandParmenides’Philosophy 93
5 PoetryandSymbolism 93
a Intratextuality 93
b Intertextuality 94
c AllegoryandSubtext 97
6 Conclusion 100
3 Empedocles 102
1 Introduction 102
2 ReligionandPhilosophy,OnePoemorTwo 104
3 EmpedocleanPoetics 107
a EmpedoclesandHisPredecessorsonPoetry 108
b LoveandPoetryinEmpedocles’Cosmology 116
c Love’sCraftandEmpedocles’Poetry 119
d ConclusiontoSection3 124
4 Empedocles’Narratives 126
a TheNarrativeoftheDaimon 127
b Initiation,D257=B110andtheEducationoftheSingularAddressee 142
c TheTwoNarrativesCombined 152
5 TheEffectsofEmpedocles’Narratives 156
a EmpedoclesandMyth 157
b EmotionsandAesthetics 162
c TextualVisions 166
d InterpretingtheText,UnderstandingtheWorld 170
6 Conclusions:EmpedoclesintheHistoryofGreekPoetryandPoetics 175
Conclusion 177
Epilogue:TheLegacyofPresocraticPoetics 183
1 Introduction 183
2 Anaxagoras,AllegoryandAinigmata 183
3 Gorgias 188
4 DemocritusonLiterature 192
5 DemocritusandtheSophistsonLanguage 196
6 PlatoandMimesis 199
Bibliography 207
Index 236
Acknowledgements
Inthelengthyprocessofbringingthisbooktolight,Ihaverackedupdebts
ofgratitudethatnohonestmancanpay.Iamgratefultomyundergradu-
ate alma mater, Trinity College, Oxford, both for awarding me
a scholarship to assist with funding my Master’s degree and for later
appointing me as a stipendiary lecturer from 2014–2015. The doctoral
thesis on which this book is loosely based was undertaken at Magdalen
College, Oxford from 2012–2015 and was made possible by a studentship
fromtheArtsandHumanitiesResearchCouncil.Ihavebeenabletoturnit
intoabookasaresultofbeingappointed,first,asaTeachingAssociateat
Cambridge during the year 2015–2016 and then as the A. G. Leventis
Research Fellow in Ancient Greek Culture at UCL from 2016–2020. In
additiontotheseeducationalinstitutions,thanksareduetomanylibraries,
buttothreeinparticular.IhavespentmorehoursintheBodleianLibrary,
the Institute of Classical Studies library and the British Library than any
therapistwouldrecommend.
Formydoctoralthesis,Ihadthegreatgoodfortunetobesupervisedby
TobiasReinhardtandBrunoCurrie,whosetexamplesofscholarlyrigour
and erudition that I have struggled to follow. My examiners, Gregory
HutchinsonandMalcolmHeath,providedawealthofdetailed,generous
andconstructivecomments,inlightofwhichIrealisedthat,inanattempt
toperformtheduediligencerequiredofadoctoralthesis,Ihadbecometoo
entangled in the familiar exegetical debates surrounding these authors
(precisely the ones I had hoped to avoid) and had to approach the topic
anew.
CambridgeandUCLprovidedimmenselystimulatingenvironmentsin
whichtorefinemythinking.AtCambridge,Iwasespeciallymadetofeel
welcome by David Butterfield, James Clackson, Renaud Gagné, Richard
Hunter, Emily Kneebone and Tim Whitmarsh. My colleagues at UCL
havebeensupportivefarbeyondwhatcouldreasonablybeexpected.Iam
particularlygratefultoPeterAgócs,NicolòBenzi,ElenaCagnoliFiecconi,
ix
x Acknowledgements
AdamLecznar,FiachraMacGóráin,GesineManuwald,PhirozeVasunia
and Maria Wyke for mentorship, camaraderie and comments on earlier
drafts.
Outside of UCL, Stefan Sienkiewicz, Henry Spelman, Barney Taylor,
RobWattandLizzieWellswerekindenoughtoreadindividualchapters,
alwayswithhelpfulsuggestions.Formoregeneralencouragementwiththis
project and my career, I am grateful to Felix Budelmann, Edith Hall,
CasperdeJonge,BeppePezzini,DavidSider,ShaulTor,GailTrimbleand
Victoria Wohl.I wouldalso liketothank Michael Sharpand Cambridge
University Press for taking a punt on this typescript and for always
responding to my queries in a helpful and timely manner. The two
anonymous readers for the Press provided detailed, valid and immensely
helpfulcriticismswhicharegreatlyappreciated.
Moving on to longer-standing and less formal debts, like any scholar,
Iowemoretomyteachersthancanbeputintowords.Icannotlistthem
all,butfrommychildhoodandadolescence,IshouldsingleoutJonathan
Katz, Andy Mylne and the late Hazel Beasley; and from undergraduate
days, Bob Cowan Gregory Hutchinson, Mike Inwood, Laura Swift,
Christopher Taylor (under whom I first studied the Presocratics) and,
above all, Peter Brown, who sadly passed away as this typescript was
under peer review. For friendship and eager discussion of all things
Classical, I thank, in addition to individuals already named, Anthony
Ellis, Dan Jolowicz, Scarlett Kingsley and Henry Mason. In this regard,
ImustalsomentionagainFiachraMacGóráinforunfailingassistanceand
advicefromtheperiodoftheconceptionofthisprojectrightthroughtoits
completion.
Mygreatestdebtsofallareowedtomyfamilyandtomywife.Myfather,
Charlie, first inspired my interest in the ancient world with trips to the
BritishMuseuminmyearlychildhood.Throughthedifficultiesofhislong
illnessandyoungdeath,mymother,Emma,movedmountainstotheends
oftheearthandbackagainfortheupbringingofmeandmysiblings.My
brother Alex and my sister Bella have been a constant support in matters
professional and personal. Finally, I would never have gotten remotely
closetocompletingthisbookwereitnotfortheencouragement,loveand
companionshipofLizzie,withwhomitismygreatjoyandhonourtoshare
mylife.
