Valerius Flaccus and Imperial Latin Epic

This is the first book-length study of the reception of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica in the epic poems of Silius Italicus (Punica), Statius (Thebaid, Achilleid), and Claudian (De Raptu Proserpinae). It sheds new light on the importance of Valerius' poem and enhances our understanding of the intertextual richness of imperial Latin epic. The readings offered in this book provide new evidence to support the view that Valerius' Argonautica predates the Punica and Thebaid, thus helping to clarify the literary history of the Flavian period (69-96 CE). Stover shows how Silius, Statius, and Claudian use programmatic allusion to the Argonautica to present themselves as Valerius' epic successors. Silius, Statius, and Claudian rework Valerian material to achieve various effects; analysis of these effects is organized by the primary function of allusive interactions, such as 'reversal', 'enrichment', and 'contrast'.

This study is essential for scholars of Latin epic poetry. Yet the Greek and Latin of its close readings are translated, making it accessible to all readers interested in intertextuality, comparative literature, and other related topics.

Tim Stover, Associate Professor of Classics, Florida State University

Tim Stover is an Associate Professor at Florida State University who specializes in Latin poetry. In addition to articles on Lucretius, Vergil, Seneca, Lucan, Valerius Flaccus, and Statius he is the author of Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica (OUP, 2012). He is also the co-editor of Repeat Performances: Ovidian Repetition and the Metamorphoses (2016).

Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Silius Italicus' Punica
2. The Thebaid's Argonautic Program
3. Statius' Thebaid
4. Statius' Achilleid
5. Claudian's De Raptu Proserpinae
Conclusion
References
Index of Passages
General Index