Catullus 64
Catullus 64 is an epyllion or "little epic" poem written by Latin poet Catullus. Catullus' longest poem, it retains his famed linguistic witticisms while employing an appropriately epic tone.
Though ostensibly concerning itself with the marriage of
The poem relies heavily on the theme of nostalgia as Catullus reflects on what he believes are better times in Roman history. He wrote the poem during a time of civil war in Rome, even referencing brothers' blood being drenched in brothers' blood in line 399. He looks back on the wedding of Peleus and Thetis as a time where Gods may come to a wedding, unlike the modern times he lived in.
The poem is written in
.The work is often cited as Catullus' masterpiece, with Charlotte Higgins considering it one of the greatest literary works ever written.[1]
References
- ^ Higgins, Charlotte (October 6, 2007). "In love's labyrinth". The Guardian. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
Bibliography
- DeBrohun, J (1999). "Ariadne and the whirlwind of fate: figures of confusion in Catullus 64.149-57". Classical Philology. 94 (4): 419–430. S2CID 162274099.
- Faber, Riemer (1998). "Vestis...variata (Catullus 64, 50-51) and the Language of Poetic Description". .
- Tathan, G (1990). "Ariadne's mitra: a note on Catullus 64.1-4". Classical Quarterly. 40 (2): 560–561. S2CID 170373084.
- Thomas, R (1983). "Callimachus, the Victoria Berenices, and Roman Poetry" (PDF). Classical Quarterly. 33: 92–113. S2CID 170886892.
- Duban, Jeffrey (1980). "Verbal Links and Imagistic Undercurrent in Catullus 64". Latomus. 39 (4): 778–800. JSTOR 41531939.
- Konstan, D (1977). Catullus' Indictment of Rome: The Meaning of Catullus 64. Amsterdam: Adolf M. Hakkert. ISBN 978-90-256-0742-5.
- Putnam, MCJ (1961). "The Art of C. 64". Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. 65. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol. 65: 166–205. JSTOR 310836.