Engendering Rome: Women in Latin Epic

Roman Literature and its Contexts

by A.M. Keith

This study examines the role of female characters in the Roman epic poetry of Virgil, Ovid and other writers. Its five chapters argue that the feminized landscapes, militaristic women, and beautiful female corpses of the Roman epic tradition should be interpreted in conjunction with the use of the genre by ancient educators as a means of inculcating Roman codes of masculinity and femininity in their pupils. The issues addressed are of interest not just to classicists but also to students of later poetic traditions and to those pursuing gender studies.

161 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 1996

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 2000 and inflected by the feminist project in Classics, this is still an exciting and provocative read. Keith's final chapter, 'Over her dead body', is a classic analysis of the prominence and symbolism of the beautiful female corpse in Roman myth and literature (Lucretia, Verginia, the Sabine women, Ilia, Dido, Camilla, Cleopatra): not only are women's dead bodies aestheticized and fetishized, but they become the foundation on which political order, stability, and Roman institutions are built - from the founding of Rome herself (Ilia, Dido, Camilla), to the expulsion of the kings and the setting up of the republic (Lucretia), to the establishment of the principate (Cleopatra).

Keith is always astute and subtle, and her work has been influential on the younger generation of feminist classicists - this book is perhaps some of her most accessible work.

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Kevin Nobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightfully concise overview