Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica: Abbreviated Voyages in Silver Latin Epic

by Debra Hershkowitz

Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica narrates the mythological quest for the Golden Fleece and the early stages of the ill-fated love affair of Jason and Medea, a tale already familiar from Greek epic tragedy, but given a Roman twist by the first-century AD epic poet. This book provides readers who have not yet encountered the Argonautica with a general introduction to the work and, through comparisons with Apollonius' Argonautica and Virgil's Aeneid , offers specialists a re-evaluation of this important Silver Latin epic.

316 pages, Hardcover

First published February 18, 1999