Catullus, Hesiod, and the Muses
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21303870 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas A L Munro (0009-0003-8650-6861, Yale University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 119 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 132-139 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Classical Philology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-837X • E-ISSN: 1546-072X |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/727859 |
| OpenAlex | W4390576783 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
In this paper I argue that Catullus 32 constitutes a sustained engagement with Hesiod’s Theogony. In addition to the humor previously identified by scholars, the poem also contains an elaborate intertextual joke. I base my argument on the evidence of the eighth line’s exaggerated sexual boast, the oft-disputed name of the addressee, the poem’s strange logic of invitation, and Catullus’ self-presentation in the poem’s closing lines. I conclude that the poem is a humorous reflection on the nature of poetic inspiration
Argument (complex analysis) · Art · Couplet · Hesiod · Joke · Literature · Poetry · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Literary Studies · Organic Chemistry Synthesis Methods · Philosophy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|