Alexander Mallin | University of Exeter (original) (raw)
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This dissertation examines the somewhat neglected epic poem the Thebaid of the Silver Age Latin p... more This dissertation examines the somewhat neglected epic poem the Thebaid of the Silver Age Latin poet Statius. Until recently considered as something of a failure of epic, the Thebaid is actually a complex reflection of Rome under the emperor Domitian. The first chapter examines the many depictions of death, from murder to battle to glorious death, and demonstrates the major persistent theme of futility in war. The second chapter analyses Statius’ use of similes, including an original database of all the Thebaid’s similes, and shows how we can use those similes to identify his focus on the Argive heroes. It also shows that his similes have complex intratextual development to characterise people, such as the pattern of the chief bull simile to criticize Polynices and Eteocles. The third chapter examines how Statius represents both mortal and immortal tyrants, criticising them for their injustice and implicitly comparing them to Domitian. It also analyses how Statius’ characters respond to the tyrants, on whether they sycophantically support them or dare to defy them, even at the cost of their own life. Overall, we can see through the Thebaid a Rome which is intensely concerned with the increasingly autocratic Domitian and the threat of civil war if he was to fall.
This essay examines how Lucan and other Silver Age authors, most prominently Seneca, deals with t... more This essay examines how Lucan and other Silver Age authors, most prominently Seneca, deals with the reputation of tyrants and specifically questions whether Lucan, in his Pharsalia, goes so far as to directly attack Nero’s reputation. I look at why attacks are made upon a tyrant’s reputation, as opposed to direct insults to his person, and give examples from Silver Age Latin as to how they were made. Amongst these methods, the most important are irony, including overly extravagant praise, caricature and comparisons to negatively portrayed figures. Overall I think it is possible to demonstrate that, although they have to be careful due to the dangers of insulting a tyrant, authors could very definitely be attacking Nero’s reputation.
A question often asked of Lucan’s Pharsalia is who, if anyone, is the hero of the story, especial... more A question often asked of Lucan’s Pharsalia is who, if anyone, is the hero of the story, especially in accordance with the Homeric models of epic poetry. In this essay I examine the specific question of how Lucan deals with ἀριστεῖα, how this can be compared with his predecessors in Latin epic poetry, especially Virgil, and finally what the implications of his treatment of ἀριστεῖα means for the poem as a whole. Specifically, he refuses to give traditional ἀριστεῖαι when there is the opportunity but takes the opportunity to do so when his characters do not deserve them. Virgil appears to ask questions about the behaviour of epic heroes and I argue that Lucan goes further than him, to the extent of actually using ἀριστεῖα as a tool to prove that no one of the civil war deserved to be called a hero, part of his general argument that civil war is a terrible thing.
This dissertation examines the anomalies in Homer’s Iliad and attempts to determine whether there... more This dissertation examines the anomalies in Homer’s Iliad and attempts to determine whether there are any common trends present. In my first chapter, I analyse the anomalies concerning warfare and technology, which I believe can be demonstrated to highlight Homer’s focus on the archaic Heroic age. In my second chapter, I evaluate anomalies found within the narrative, such as evidence of allusions, suppressions and paradigms, which are very often related to Homer’s theme of the relationship between mortality and glory. More importantly, the trends behind these anomalies are often only detectable by the poet’s audience rather than his characters, which sometimes leads to events of dramatic irony. Overall, I believe it can be demonstrated that ‘anomalies’ in the Iliad are deliberate choices made by the poet in order to improve the story.
This dissertation examines the somewhat neglected epic poem the Thebaid of the Silver Age Latin p... more This dissertation examines the somewhat neglected epic poem the Thebaid of the Silver Age Latin poet Statius. Until recently considered as something of a failure of epic, the Thebaid is actually a complex reflection of Rome under the emperor Domitian. The first chapter examines the many depictions of death, from murder to battle to glorious death, and demonstrates the major persistent theme of futility in war. The second chapter analyses Statius’ use of similes, including an original database of all the Thebaid’s similes, and shows how we can use those similes to identify his focus on the Argive heroes. It also shows that his similes have complex intratextual development to characterise people, such as the pattern of the chief bull simile to criticize Polynices and Eteocles. The third chapter examines how Statius represents both mortal and immortal tyrants, criticising them for their injustice and implicitly comparing them to Domitian. It also analyses how Statius’ characters respond to the tyrants, on whether they sycophantically support them or dare to defy them, even at the cost of their own life. Overall, we can see through the Thebaid a Rome which is intensely concerned with the increasingly autocratic Domitian and the threat of civil war if he was to fall.
This essay examines how Lucan and other Silver Age authors, most prominently Seneca, deals with t... more This essay examines how Lucan and other Silver Age authors, most prominently Seneca, deals with the reputation of tyrants and specifically questions whether Lucan, in his Pharsalia, goes so far as to directly attack Nero’s reputation. I look at why attacks are made upon a tyrant’s reputation, as opposed to direct insults to his person, and give examples from Silver Age Latin as to how they were made. Amongst these methods, the most important are irony, including overly extravagant praise, caricature and comparisons to negatively portrayed figures. Overall I think it is possible to demonstrate that, although they have to be careful due to the dangers of insulting a tyrant, authors could very definitely be attacking Nero’s reputation.
A question often asked of Lucan’s Pharsalia is who, if anyone, is the hero of the story, especial... more A question often asked of Lucan’s Pharsalia is who, if anyone, is the hero of the story, especially in accordance with the Homeric models of epic poetry. In this essay I examine the specific question of how Lucan deals with ἀριστεῖα, how this can be compared with his predecessors in Latin epic poetry, especially Virgil, and finally what the implications of his treatment of ἀριστεῖα means for the poem as a whole. Specifically, he refuses to give traditional ἀριστεῖαι when there is the opportunity but takes the opportunity to do so when his characters do not deserve them. Virgil appears to ask questions about the behaviour of epic heroes and I argue that Lucan goes further than him, to the extent of actually using ἀριστεῖα as a tool to prove that no one of the civil war deserved to be called a hero, part of his general argument that civil war is a terrible thing.
This dissertation examines the anomalies in Homer’s Iliad and attempts to determine whether there... more This dissertation examines the anomalies in Homer’s Iliad and attempts to determine whether there are any common trends present. In my first chapter, I analyse the anomalies concerning warfare and technology, which I believe can be demonstrated to highlight Homer’s focus on the archaic Heroic age. In my second chapter, I evaluate anomalies found within the narrative, such as evidence of allusions, suppressions and paradigms, which are very often related to Homer’s theme of the relationship between mortality and glory. More importantly, the trends behind these anomalies are often only detectable by the poet’s audience rather than his characters, which sometimes leads to events of dramatic irony. Overall, I believe it can be demonstrated that ‘anomalies’ in the Iliad are deliberate choices made by the poet in order to improve the story.