Statius thebaid commentary on the book 9

Statiuss epic strongly influenced western literature before anyone knew much about its author. Classical texts library statius, thebaid book 1 statius, thebaid 1. Publius papinius statius was a roman poet who flourished in the late c1st a. The thebaid of statius, a retelling in epic form of hepta epi thbas 467 b. Augoustakis begins with a brief biographical sketch of statius with particular nods to the influence of statius poetfather, statius the elder, a vatic amphiaraus figure, nicely tying his own introduction to the major introductory figure of the first part of book 8 see also the notes on 8. The first fullscale edition of statius thebaid 8, complete with a thorough introduction, facingpage translation, and a comprehensive commentary provides detailed and. In this volume, augoustakis presents the first fulllength edition of thebaid 8, with text and apparatus criticus, and an english translation. Some remarks on statiuss achilleid 169 lets have a more detailed look at the first part of book one. Statius, thebaid i impressions over the past two months ive been posting a commentary as i read the first book of statius thebaid. The poem is a work of horror and cruelty that shows to what depths of degradation man can sink when impiety, hatred and jealousy overcome him.

The book, an expansion of gervaiss 2008 otago dissertation, offers a welcome addition to the recent exegetical works on the thebaid, like a. Brills companion to statius is the first companion volume to be published on arguably the most important roman poet of the flavian period. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Statius thebaid and the poetics of civil war by charles. Alternation between thebes and argos weaves text of books 14 vessey n. Statius development of allegory helped establish the importance of that technique in medieval poetry. Kyle gervaiss excellent commentary on book 2 of statius thebaid is the first since h.

Over the past two months ive been posting a commentary as i read the first book of statius thebaid. Medieval writers inferred statiuss personality from the thebaid, from an unfinished poem on the youth of achilles called the achilleid, and from scattered comments, such. Statius, thebaid 2 kyle gervais oxford university press. An overview of the civic life of thebaid in christian. Please contact the current institutions library for further details. A commentary on book iii with text and introduction by h. This study focuses on ways in which statius epic thebaid, a poem about the civil war between oedipus sons eteocles and polynices, reflects the theme of internal discord in its narrative strategies. Bernstein examines how the depictions of kinship in these four works differs from earlier.

This commentary examines in close detail statius mannered style and analyses the text as a system of intertextual references. Mcnelis claims that throughout the thebaid there is a persistent callimachean poetics that tends to work against the predominant epic mode of the poem. From the very beginning, the poet confronts us with a problem which runs as a red thread throughout the entire first book. Juxtaposes the newly edited full latin text with an accessible.

Caviglias 1, snijders 3, smolenaars 7, dewars 9, williams 10 or veninis 11. The poem is divided into twelve books in imitation of virgils aeneid and is composed in dactylic hexameter. Papinius statius, written about ad 80 to 92, deals with the fraternal strife between oedipus sons. Statius, thebaid 8 edited with an introduction, translation, and commentary edited by antony augoustakis. In other words, this introduction focuses on statius rules for reading thebaid. Dewar, statius thebaid ix, edited with an english translation and commentary 1991. Statiuss thebaid and achilleid are two of only four extant epics from the flavian period, 6996 c. Thebais is a latin epic in 12 books written in dactylic hexameter by publius papinius statius ad c. These last two works relate the stories of the seven against thebes and the youth of achilles respectively. Thebaid book 8 text and translation with commentary thebaid book 9 text and translation with commentary. This edition contains the first commentary on book iv since vollmers edition of the siluae in 1898.

Though ive enjoyed a lot of latin poetry over the years, i had never studied more than a. The poem deals with the theban cycle and treats the assault of the seven champions of argos against the city of thebes. This is the first commentary on the second book of statius epic poem, the thebaid, in nearly sixty years, and the only fullscale english commentary. Statius, thebaid 2 edited with an introduction, translation, and commentary edited by kyle gervais. Thebaid ix by publius papinius statius, michael dewar. Though ive enjoyed a lot of latin poetry over the years, i had never studied more than a line or two of this work. A new complete downloadable english translation of his epic of the seven against thebes.

Dewars admirable edition of book 9 is the first worthy commentary on part of the thebaid in english since r. Statiuss thebaid deals with the same subject as the thebaidan early greek epic of. The argument of book ii but the one mercury begotten of maia was returning to the upper air 1515 and, roused by erebus, fierce laius was already on the move 711, having assumed as. He was the author of a collection of dedicatory poems known as the silvae. The term also hints at a manifestation of christian prejudicewhich dante certainly in his physical description of nimrod, dante reinforces the association of the giants with the of shifting allegiances and betrayals in the long political life of count ugolino statius merely describes briareus as immense thebaid 2596. With introduction, translation, vocabulary, and notes by george calder. My primary objective is to explain the meaning in several senses of the term of the latin text. The introduction discusses statius career, the chronology and arrangement of the poems in book iv, the title siluae, the nature of the collection, the authenticity of the. Passages from homer to valerius flaccus were exploited by statius for read more. Book 2 presents several key events in the buildup to the theban war. Statius thebaid and the poetics of civil war bryn mawr.

This 2007 book argues that the thebaid reworks themes, scenes, and ideas from virgil in order to show that the aeneids representation of monarchy is inadequate. A classical epic of fratricide and war, the thebaid retells the legendary conflict between the sons of oedipus. The political realities of rome in the first century are also evident in the thebaid, in representations of authoritarian power and the drive for domination. Other editions containing works of statius publius papinius statius oxford classical texts. Book vii describes the forced march of the seven and their arrival see more. Following her translation of lucans pharsalia ithaca, 1993, scholarpoet jane wilson joyce hereafter j. Given that the only previous commentaries on book 1, those of heuvel 1932 and caviglia 1973, appeared well before the. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Based on statius own testimony, the thebaid was written c. The principal thesis of the book, as formulated in the introduction, is that aspects of contemporary civil war are reproduced at the level of poetics in the thebaid. Dewy night, impelled by joves command, shrouded phoebus at the western gate. A commentary on the thebaid is transmitted under the name of lactantius placidus. Throughout the middle ages, the thebaid remained a popular text, inspiring a 12thcentury french romance and works by boccaccio and chaucer. This book, a revised doctoral dissertation, is the most ambitious commentary on any part of the thebaid to appear in almost ten years, and in its scope and learning bears.

At the same time that statius reworks the homeric and virgilian epic traditions, he engages with hellenistic poetic ideals as exemplified by. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Composed around ad 8092, statius thebaid is a twelve book latin epic which tells the mythological story of the expedition of the seven warriors against thebes as they try to oust eteocles from the throne in favour of his brother polynices. Homer in the late antique commentary on statiuss thebaid jstor. Papinius publius papinius, pollmann, karla, statius, thebaid 12. The latin poet statius reworks a familiar story from greek myth, dramatized long before by aeschylus in his tragedy seven against thebes. Nauta, 97890041743, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. The thebaid is a latin epic in 12 books written in dactylic hexameter by publius papinius. This dissertation discusses the proem of statius thebaid 1. Composed towards the end of the first century ce, statius thebaid relates the myth of the seven against thebes.

The identification of these sources offers the key to interpret the poets artistic intentions. Statius publius papinius statius statius oxford scholarly editions. His introduction and commentary reflect an impressive command of epic tradition before and after statius. Represents the first fulllength english language commentary on book 2 of statius thebaid juxtaposes the newly edited full latin text with an accessible translation and extensive contextualizing introduction. Review of statius, thebaid ix joseph farrell university of pennsylvania. Passages from homer to valerius flaccus were exploited by statius for his challenging adaptations of typical scenes. In late antiquity, the thebaid which was by then a classic received a commentary by a lactantius placidus. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Shackleton baileys new loeb classical library edition of statius. A detailed introduction discusses the argivetheban myth in the greek and roman literary tradition and art, as well as the reception of the book in subsequent centuries, especially in dantes divine comedy.

Statius published his thebaid in the last decade of the first century. Statius thebaid form premade the cambridge classical journal. California, berkeley, is professor of classics at the university of colorado, boulder. Represents the first fulllength english language commentary on book 2 of statius thebaid. This poetry, long seen as derivative or decadent, is increasingly appreciated for the daring and originality of its responses both to the greek and latin literary tradition and to the contemporary roman world. In the silvae, statius speaks of his extensive work in polishing and revising the thebaid and his public. This twovolume edition of the epics, a freshly edited latin text facing a graceful translation, completes d. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.