Intertextuality in Latin Poetry

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Neil Bernstein (Ohio University)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Domains

Literary Concept
Literary Theory/ Critical approach

Dates

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Location; Involved)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Recommended Reading

Intertextuality at the point of reception

The ancient commentator Servius (fl. early 5^th century CE) claims in the preface to his commentary on Virgil’s Aeneid that one of the poet’s purposes was “to imitate Homer” (intentio Vergilii haec est, Homerum imitari). In a restricted sense, this statement is undeniable: numerous passages of the epic are either direct translations or close adaptations of Homer’s works. Several of Virgil’s characters appeared earlier in Homer’s Iliad, or are recognizably modeled on Homeric figures (Barchiesi 2015, Knauer 1964). As the ancient commentators certainly recognized, however, Virgil’s …

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3474 words

Citation: Bernstein, Neil. "Intertextuality in Latin Poetry". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 August 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19595, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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