Vassiliki Panoussi, Greek Tragedy in Vergil's "Aeneid": Ritual, Empire, and Intertext, Cambridge/ New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Pp. xiii, 257.
- ISBN 9780521895224.
- $80.00.
Recension par Wolfgang Polleichtner (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) dans Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.09.53.
Présentation de l'éditeur:
This is the first systematic study of the importance of Greek tragedyas a fundamental ‘intertext' for Vergil's Aeneid. Vassiliki Panoussiargues that the epic's representation of ritual acts, especiallysacrifice, mourning, marriage, and maenadic rites, mobilises aconnection to tragedy. The tragic-ritual model offers a fresh look intothe political and cultural function of the Aeneid, expanding ourawareness of the poem's scope, particularly in relation to gender, andpresenting new readings of celebrated episodes, such as Anchises'games, Amata's maenadic rites, Dido's suicide, and the killing ofTurnus. She interprets the Aeneid as a work that reflects the dynamicnature of Augustan ideology, contributing to the redefinition of civicdiscourse and national identity. In her rich study, readers will find aunique exploration of the complex relationship between Greek tragedyand Vergil's Aeneid and a stimulating discussion of problems of gender,power, and ideology in ancient Rome.
Table des matières:
Part I. Ritual: 1. Ritual violence and the failure of sacrifice; 2.Suicide, devotion, and ritual closure; 3. The fragility ofreconciliation: ritual restoration and the devine; 4. Maenad brides andthe destruction of the city; 5. Mourning glory: ritual lament and Romancivic identity
Part II. Empire: 6. Heroic identity: Vergil's Ajax; 7.Contesting idealologies: ritual and empire.
Extraits en ligne sur le site de l'éditeur.