Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica

Author:   Tim Stover (Assistant Professor, Florida State University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
ISBN:  

9780199644087


Pages:   258
Publication Date:   05 July 2012
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica


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Overview

Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome offers a new interpretation of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica, a Latin epic poem written during the reign of the emperor Vespasian (70-79 AD). Recounting the famous voyage of Jason and the Argonauts as they set off to retrieve the Golden Fleece, the poem depicts a narrative of high epic adventure. In this volume, Stover shows how Flaccus' epic reflects the restorative ideals of Vespasianic Rome, which attempted to restore order following the destructive civil war of 68-69 AD. This proposition sets it apart from the largely 'pessimistic' readings of other scholars. An important element of Flaccus' poetics of recovery is an engagement with Lucan's iconoclastic Bellum Civile. This poem's deconstructive tendencies offered Flaccus a poetic point of departure for his attempt to renew the epic genre in the context of political renewal triggered by Vespasian's accession to power. Stover's approach is thus both formalist and historicist as he seeks not only to elucidate Flaccus' dynamic appropriation of Lucan, but also to associate the Argonautica's formal gestures within a specific socio-political context.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tim Stover (Assistant Professor, Florida State University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.20cm
Weight:   0.428kg
ISBN:  

9780199644087


ISBN 10:   019964408
Pages:   258
Publication Date:   05 July 2012
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ; INTRODUCTION ; 1. The date of the Argonautica ; 2. The inauguration of the Argonautic moment ; 3. The sea storm and political allegory ; 4. Gigantomachy and civil war in Cyzicus ; 5. The Vespasianic vates ; 6. Recuperating the hero: Medea and the issue of Jason s virtus ; REFERENCES ; INDEX OF PASSAGES ; GENERAL INDEX

Reviews

Undoubtedly, this is a highly recommended book for all students and critics of Latin epic and Imperial epic in particular. Its insightful and challenging views will provoke future discussion and studies on the fascinating poem of Valerius Flaccus. --Antony Augoustakis, Classical Journal


Author Information

Tim Stover is Assistant Professor of Classics at Florida State University.

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