Broken Columns: Two Roman Epic Fragments: The Achilleid of Publius Papinius Statius and the Rape of Proserpine of Claudius Claudia: Two Roman Epic ... The Rape of Proserpine of Claudius Claudianus by David Konstan (Afterword), David R. Slavitt (Editor)...

by Publius Papinius Statius

"With unerring instinct Slavitt has juxtaposed two witty and ironic post-Ovidian tales of coming of age, Statius's unfinished 'Deeds of Achilles' and Claudian's 'Rape of Proserpina.' Those were the mythical days when teenagers were charming and rape consensual (for Deidamia), or at least (for Proserpina) the path to queenly power. Epic was never the same after Ovid, whether in Statius's sentimental comedy of love and war or in Claudian's darker divine intrigue sacrificing a mother's love to avert an infernal coup d'etat. Slavitt's versatile idiom makes vivid the personalities of Statius's drama and updates Claudian's self-conscious poetics in versions that are both free and true to the poets' art."--Elaine Fanthom, Princeton University

Genres: Poetry, Classics

Unknown Binding

First published January 27, 1997

About the author

Publius Papinius Statius (Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; /ˈsteɪʃiəs/, Latin: [ˈstaːtiʊs];[a] c. 45 – c. 96) was a Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the Thebaid; a collection of occasional poetry, the Silvae; and an unfinished epic, the Achilleid. He is also known for his appearance as a guide in the Purgatory section of Dante's epic poem, the Divine Comedy.