The Resurrection of Homer in Imperial Greek Epic: Quintus Smyrnaeus' Posthomerica and the Poetics of Impersonation

Description

This book offers a radically new reading of Quintus' Posthomerica, the first account to combine a literary and cultural-historical understanding of what is the most important Greek epic written at the height of the Roman Empire. In Emma Greensmith's ground-breaking analysis, Quintus emerges as a key poet in the history of epic and of Homeric reception. Writing as if he is Homer himself, and occupying the space between the Iliad and the Odyssey, Quintus constructs a new 'poetics of the interval'. At all levels, from its philology to its plotting, the Posthomerica manipulates the language of affiliation, succession and repetition not just to articulate its own position within the inherited epic tradition but also to contribute to the literary and identity politics of imperial society. This book changes how we understand the role of epic and Homer in Greco-Roman culture - and completely re-evaluates Quintus' status as a poet. Cover Half-title Series information Title page Copyright information Dedication Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Editions, Translations and Abbreviations Chapter 1 Beginning Again (Introduction): The Poetics of Impersonation 1.1 Prologue: Still Homer? 1.2 Opposition in Imitation 1.3 Silver Latin, Imperial Greek? 1.4 Homeric Poetics at the Dawn of Christianity 1.5 Silver Latin ≠ Imperial Greek? 1.6 (Non) Parallels: Poetic Impersonation 1.7 Homer and the Performance of the Past 1.8 (Post) Latourian Quintus 1.9 Structure, Scope and Sources 1.10 Terms of Engagement: 'Intertextuality', 'Theory', 'Metapoetics' Part I Quintus as Homer: Illusion and Imitation Chapter 2 Enlarging the Space: Imperial Doubleness, Fixity, Expansion 2.1 Being and Not Being 2.2 Declamation: What Demosthenes Would Have Said 2.3 The Progymnasmata: Practising Expansion 2.4 Homeric Performance: Scripts and Spoofs 2.5 Quintus' Homeric Performance: Songs within the Song 2.6 Conclusions Chapter 3 Writing Homer: Language, Composition and Style 3.1 Introduction: Omerico Ma (Non) Troppo? 3.2 Language and Formulae Language Homeric Rarities Neologisms Formulae and Epithets Variety of Epithets 'Generic' Epithets 3.3 Gnomai and Similes Gnomai Similes 3.4 Conclusions Part II Quintus as Quintus: Antagonism and Assimilation Chapter 4 When Homer Quotes Callimachus: The Proem (not) in the Middle 4.1 Introduction: Quintus' Quale 4.2 Imperial Greek Epic and Callimachus: Locating the Slender Muse 4.3 One Continuous Song 4.4 Muses and Knowledge 4.5 Youth 4.6 Topography and Grandeur 4.7 Tending Famous Sheep 4.8 Conclusions: Declassifying Quintus Chapter 5 Selective Memory and Iliadic Revision 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Selective Memory and Poetic Selectivity 5.3 Reported Memories: Homer et cetera 5.4 Memories in Speech: Self-Motivated Selections 5.5 Conclusions Chapter 6 Prodigal Poetics: Filiation and Succession 6.1 The Ever-Present Anxiety? 6.2 Epic Ecology: Quintus' Successional Space 6.3 Antagonising Antagonism Opening Contenders: Penthesilea, Achilles, Ajax Memnon and Achilles: Flyting against Filiation Eurypylus: Grandpaternal Poetics 6.4 Alternative Relations: Succession through Impersonation Armour and the Mimetic Double Filial Speech: against 'Source Citation' Necromancy and Filial Possession Wayward Athena: Concluding Succession 6.5 Conclusions Chapter 7 Temporality and the Homeric Not Yet 7.1 Imperial Timing 7.2 Pacing: Acceleration and Delay 7.3 Straining: Plot Control and the Counterfactual 7.4 Bending: Anachrony and Prolepsis 7.5 Unravelling . . . or Un-ending 7.6 Final Conclusions Bibliography Index Locorum for Resurrection of Homer Subject index for Resurrection of Homer