Ayelet Haimson Lushkov

Katherine Wasdin

William Brockliss

Pramit Chaudhuri

This collection brings together leading experts in a number of fields of the humanities to offer a new perspective on the classical tradition. Drawing on reception studies, philology and early modern studies, the essays explore the interaction between literary criticism and the multiple cultural contexts in which texts were produced, discovered, appropriated and translated. The intersection of Realpolitik and textual criticism, poetic and musical aesthetics, and authority and self-fashioning all come under scrutiny. The canonical Latin writers and their subsequent reception form the backbone of the volume, with a focus on the European Renaissance. It thus marks a reconnection between classical and early modern studies and the concomitant rapprochement of philological and cultural historical approaches to texts and other works of art. This book will be of interest to scholars in classics, Renaissance studies, comparative literature, English, Italian and art history.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Classical Tradition

Reception and the Classics

This book analyzes the relationship between wedding poetry and love poetry in the classical world. By treating both Greek and Latin texts, it offers an innovative and wide-ranging discussion of the poetic representation of social occasions. The discourses associated with weddings and love affairs both foreground ideas of persuasion and praise even though they differ dramatically in their participants and their outcomes. Furthermore, these texts make it clear that the brief, idealized, and eroticized moment of the wedding stands in contrast to the long-lasting and harmonious agreement of the marriage. At times, these genres share traditional forms of erotic persuasion, but at other points, one genre purposefully alludes to the other to make a bride seem like a paramour or a paramour like a bride. Explicit divergences remind the audience of the different trajectories of the wedding, which will hopefully transition into a stable marriage, and the love affair, which is unlikely to endure with mutual affection. Important themes include the threshold; the evening star; plant and animal metaphors; heroic comparisons; reciprocity and the blessings of the gods; and sexual violence and persuasion. The consistency and durability of this intergeneric relationship demonstrates deep-seated conceptions of legitimate and illegitimate sexual relationships. By examining these two types of poetry in tandem, Eros at Dusk adds fresh insight into the social concerns and generic composition of these occasional poems.

Ancient Wedding and Love Poetry

Eros at Dusk

Eros at Dusk analyses the relationship between wedding poetry and love poetry in the ancient world. By treating both Greek and Latin texts, it offers a wide-ranging argument about connections between social occasions and traditional poetry. Weddings and love affairs are dramatically differentin their participants and their outcomes, but the discourses associated with these scenarios center on similar ideas of persuasion and praise. Furthermore, these texts make it clear that the wedding stands in contrast to the marriage as a brief idealized and eroticized moment. Specific themesorganize the book into chapters on the threshold; the evening star; plant and animal metaphors; heroic comparisons; reciprocity and the blessings of the gods; and sexual violence and persuasion. The two genres interact in a variety of ways: at times, they share traditional forms of eroticpersuasion, but at other points, one genre will purposefully allude to another to make a bride seem like a girlfriend or a girlfriend like a bride. Explicit divergences remind the audience of the different trajectories of the wedding, which will transition into a hopefully long-lasting marriage, andthe love affair, which is unlikely to endure with mutual affection. The consistency and durability of this intergeneric relationship demonstrates deep-seated ancient notions about legitimate and illegitimate sexual relationships.

Katherine Wasdin

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