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. At the same time that Statius reworks the Homeric and Virgilian epic traditions, he engages with Hellenistic poetic ideals as exemplified by Callimachus and the Roman Callimachean poets, especially Ovid. The result is a tension between the impulse towards the generic expectations of warfare and the desire for delay and postponement of such conflict. Ultimately, Statius adheres to the mythic paradigm of the mutual fratricide, but he continues to employ competing strategies that call attention to the fictive nature of any project of closure and conciliation. In the process, the poem offers a new mode of epic closure that emphasises individual means of resolution.

A significant reading of the epic which argues that its narrative strategies reflect the theme of internal discord.

About the Author
Charles McNelis is Assistant Professor of Classics at Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Reviews
"a welcome addition to Statian scholarship...The book is extremely nuanced and works at a number of levels." BMCR



Book Information
ISBN 9780521123617
Author Charles McNelis
Format Paperback
Page Count 216
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 330g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 152mm * 13mm