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Cover image of The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Italic Tradition
Cover image of The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Italic Tradition
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The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Italic Tradition

Jay Fisher

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A fresh look at the multicultural influences on Quintus Ennius and his epic poem, the Annals.

Quintus Ennius, often considered the father of Roman poetry, is best remembered for his epic poem, the Annals, a history of Rome from Aeneas until his own lifetime. Ennius represents an important bridge between Homer’s works in Greek and Vergil’s Aeneid. Jay Fisher argues that Ennius does not simply translate Homeric models into Latin, but blends Greek poetic models with Italic diction to produce a poetic hybrid. Fisher's investigation uncovers a poem that blends foreign and familiar cultural elements...

A fresh look at the multicultural influences on Quintus Ennius and his epic poem, the Annals.

Quintus Ennius, often considered the father of Roman poetry, is best remembered for his epic poem, the Annals, a history of Rome from Aeneas until his own lifetime. Ennius represents an important bridge between Homer’s works in Greek and Vergil’s Aeneid. Jay Fisher argues that Ennius does not simply translate Homeric models into Latin, but blends Greek poetic models with Italic diction to produce a poetic hybrid. Fisher's investigation uncovers a poem that blends foreign and familiar cultural elements in order to generate layers of meaning for his Roman audience.

Fisher combines modern linguistic methodologies with traditional philology to uncover the influence of the language of Roman ritual, kinship, and military culture on the Annals. Moreover, because these customs are themselves hybrids of earlier Roman, Etruscan, and Greek cultural practices, not to mention the customs of speakers of lesser-known languages such as Oscan and Umbrian, the echoes of cultural interactions generate layers of meaning for Ennius, his ancient audience, and the modern readers of the fragments of the Annals.

Reviews

Reviews

I found his book challenging, indeed exciting; bold in its reconstructions, clear in setting out its methodology and honest in acknowledging the inevitable constraints arising from the paucity of epigraphic evidence for Ennius's pre-literary antecedents.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
224
ISBN
9781421411293
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
1. Ennius and the Italic Tradition
2. The Annals and the Greek Tradition
3. Ritual and Myth in the Augurium Romuli (Annals 72–91)
4. Ritual, Militia, and History in Book 6 of the Annals
5

Acknowledgments
1. Ennius and the Italic Tradition
2. The Annals and the Greek Tradition
3. Ritual and Myth in the Augurium Romuli (Annals 72–91)
4. Ritual, Militia, and History in Book 6 of the Annals
5. Ritual, Kinship, and Myth in Book 1 of the Annals
Conclusion: The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Modern Tradition
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Author Bio