Research Catalog

Title

Thebaid : a song of Thebes / translated, with introductions, commentary, and a glossary by Jane Wilson Joyce.

Author

Statius, P. Papinius (Publius Papinius)

Publication

Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2008.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Joyce, Jane Wilson

Description

xxxv, 502 p.; 25 cm.

Summary

"The Thebaid, a Latin epic in twelve books by Statius (c. 45-96 C.E.) reexamines events following the abdication of Oedipus, focusing on the civil war between the brothers Eteocles, King of Thebes, and Polynices, who comes at the head of an army from Argos to claim his share of royal power. The poem is long - each of the twelve books comprises over eight hundred lines - and complex, and it exploits a broad range of literary works, both Greek and Latin. Severely curtailed though he was by the emperor Domitian and his Reign of Terror, Statius nevertheless created a meditation on autocratic rule that is still of political interest today. Popular in its own time and much admired in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - most notably by Dante and Chaucer - the poem fell into obscurity and has, for readers of English, been poorly served by translators." "Statius composed his poem in dactylic hexameters, the supreme verse form in antiquity. In his hands, this venerable line is flexible, capable of subtle emphases and dramatic shifts in tempo; it is an expressive, responsive medium. In this new and long-awaited translation the poet Jane Wilson Joyce employs a loose, six-beat line in her English translation, which allows her to reveal something of the original rhythm and of the interplay between sentence structure and verse framework. The clarity of Joyce's translation highlights the poem's superb versification, sophisticated use of intertextuality, and bold formal experimentation and innovation. A substantial introduction and annotations make this epic accessible to students of all levels."--Jacket.

Series Statement

Masters of Latin literature

Uniform Title

• Thebais. English
• Masters of Latin literature

Alternative Title

Thebais.

Subject

• Eteocles, King of Thebes (Mythological character) > Poetry
• Polynices (Greek mythological figure) > Poetry
• Seven against Thebes (Greek mythology) > Poetry
• Epic poetry, Latin > Translations into English
• Thebes (Greece) > Poetry

Genre/Form

• Poetry
• poetry.
• Translations
• Poésie.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [495]-502).

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Thebaid: A Song of Thebes.

ISBN

• 9780801431845 (cloth : alk. paper)
• 0801431840 (cloth : alk. paper)
• 9780801482854 (pbk. : alk. paper)
• 0801482852 (pbk. : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^2008008618

OCLC

• 212376147
• SCSB-11989492

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library