Marco Pelucchi
KU Leuven, Geschiedenis van de oudheid, Department Member
In the current revival of studies on Alexander the Great, literature has until now neglected – also because of the scarcity of testimonies – its ‘poetic’ side. Choerilus of Iasus, the most important among the poets who accompanied... more
In the current revival of studies on Alexander the Great, literature has until now neglected – also because of the scarcity of testimonies – its ‘poetic’ side. Choerilus of Iasus, the most important among the poets who accompanied Alexander’s endeavours, represents no exception. For this reason, the book delivers a complete study of Choerilus’ works, life and (mis-)fortune. By doing so, it reassesses philologically and historically a blind spot in present-day research and therefore illuminates further the field of Alexandrography as well as its literary reception. The volume entails first of all a new edition of all the testimonies and fragments pertaining to Choerilus of Iasus, updating and expanding the latest collection edited by H. Lloyd-Jones and P. Parsons in the Supplementum Hellenisticum (1983). Following up, the book develops in four chapters an analysis and discussion of the texts collected in the critical edition. The fifth concluding chapter retraces and contextualises the history of modern studies, from the Renaissance on, concerning the elusive figure of Choerilus.
Research Interests:
The Greek manuscript tradition transmits various fragments of works with the title Περὶ ποιητῶν, composed by both philosophers and grammarians from the Classical to the Imperial periods. The aim of this paper is to analyse these surviving... more
The Greek manuscript tradition transmits various fragments of works with the title Περὶ ποιητῶν, composed by both philosophers and grammarians from the Classical to the Imperial periods. The aim of this paper is to analyse these surviving fragments with a view to delineating the contents, forms, and characteristics of this type of literature. In the first part, I propose a survey of all authors and fragments of ancient Greek works On Poets. The second section outlines their literary-historical profile. Based on comparison with ancient works treating similar topics, I suggest a unitary reading of the writings Περὶ ποιητῶν. Through a combination of biographical, exegetical, theoretical, and (perhaps) technical information, this type of literature appears to have comprised the earliest "histories" of ancient poetry.
Research Interests:
According to Plutarch, παραδιόρθωσις is the technique of reworking one or more lines of poetry by introducing minimal corrections to alter their original meaning. Many examples come from the Early Stoics and the technique appears to have... more
According to Plutarch, παραδιόρθωσις is the technique of reworking one or more lines of poetry by introducing minimal corrections to alter their original meaning. Many examples come from the Early Stoics and the technique appears to have been practised by the scholarchs Zeno, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus. In this paper, I collect and comment on the extant examples of Stoic παραδιορθώσεις. I propose to study the origin of this technique, comparing it to similar practices attested in connection with Cynic literature. I also read this practice in the light of the Stoics’ attitude towards poetry, considering their habit of quoting and interpreting previous literature in accordance with their philosophical principles. A better understanding of this practice allows me to reconsider some problematic cases and to shed new light on an epigram by Asclepiades rewritten by Mnasalces and displaying a Stoic influence in both form and content.
Research Interests:
Building upon a passage from Philodemus’ On Poems (P.Herc. 994, col. 25.5-15), the article develops some considerations about four Greek ‘pessimi poetae’ (Carcinus, Cleaenetus, Choerilus, Anaximenes), dealing with their tradition and the... more
Building upon a passage from Philodemus’ On Poems (P.Herc. 994, col. 25.5-15), the article develops some considerations about four Greek ‘pessimi poetae’ (Carcinus, Cleaenetus, Choerilus, Anaximenes), dealing with their tradition and the reasons behind the severe judgments towards them. I show how Philodemus’ passage testifies of an extreme case of early selection (and loss) in the transmission of Greek literature due to the judgement towards the authors formed already by ancient critics.
Research Interests:
Due to its brevity, the epigram has often been considered a ‘minor’ genre. Although not without exception, even the most recent literature implicitly or explicitly reiterates this misconception. I intend to reconsider the problem and... more
Due to its brevity, the epigram has often been considered a ‘minor’ genre. Although not without exception, even the most recent literature implicitly or explicitly reiterates this misconception. I intend to reconsider the problem and defend the opposite view, namely that in the Hellenistic age the epigram was never regarded as a marginal poetic form. First of all, I will consider the social prestige bestowed on epigrammists, as well as the existence of an early literary criticism dedicated to the genre; I will also try to show that the poets who engaged with this form had a high opinion of their epigrammatic work. Building upon this, I will interpret such a phenomenon as an expression of the new Hellenistic poetics. Lastly, I will try to establish an explanatory link between the still widespread tendency to interpret the epigram in a deflationary way and the reception of the genre in Latin literature.
Research Interests:
[The marginalia of the Palatine Anthology. Loose ends left by Karl Preisendanz] The margins of the most important witness of the Greek Anthology, now split between Heidelberg (Pal. gr. 23) and Paris (Suppl. gr. 384), present a large... more
[The marginalia of the Palatine Anthology. Loose ends left by Karl Preisendanz] The margins of the most important witness of the Greek Anthology, now split between Heidelberg (Pal. gr. 23) and Paris (Suppl. gr. 384), present a large paratextual corpus with essential indications on the authors and the content of the epigrams, as well as variae lectiones and exegetical hints about the poems. The paper aims to reconsider these marginalia, which have not been thoroughly examined since Karl Preisendanz (1911). Starting with the work of Jacobs, the first part retraces the history of previous studies of the hands recognisable in the manuscript, in both text and margins. The second part shows how Preisendanz’s results should be updated, particularly with respect to the relationships between the annotators indicated as J, C, A*, L, A1. Building upon these conclusions, it will be possible to reassess and substantiate the history of the preparation of the codex, as well as to deepen our understanding of the philological and historical value of these marginalia.
Research Interests:
The article focuses on Niklas Holzberg's translations of Aristophanes' Assemblywomen. The first translation was fit to a theatrical production that took place in 1983, and then later revised for a book release in 2004. A new edition has... more
The article focuses on Niklas Holzberg's translations of Aristophanes' Assemblywomen. The first translation was fit to a theatrical production that took place in 1983, and then later revised for a book release in 2004. A new edition has been printed in 2017. In what follows, we analyse the peculiarities of all the three versions and dedicate particular attention to the genesis of the first translation, which was shaped at the crossroad of academic and theatrical discussions. Holzberg's experience as a translator of Assemblywomen, for spectators as well as for readers, shows how classical philology and theatre, despite their different demands, can mutually benefit from one another and happily meet. We also compare Holzberg's work to the translations and rewritings of Aristophanes during the XIX and XX centuries, referring especially to L. Seegers, W. Schadewaldt and P. Hacks.
Research Interests:
By considering the Cleombrotus epigram (AP 7,471 = 23 Wil. = 53 G.-P.), the paper aims at rethinking Callimachus' stance towards a genuine interest in philosophy. Rather than focusing on a mostly 'meta-communicative' interpretation, as... more
By considering the Cleombrotus epigram (AP 7,471 = 23 Wil. = 53 G.-P.), the paper aims at rethinking Callimachus' stance towards a genuine interest in philosophy. Rather than focusing on a mostly 'meta-communicative' interpretation, as recent literature does, it shows how the epigram's intended irony is understandable only by presupposing Callimachus' sympathy for the Cyrenaic school. The verses seem therefore to imply a critical attitude with respect to Plato's Phaedo. The dialogue presents ideas that contradict the Cyrenaic teachings, which most likely refused Plato's reception of Socrates' philosophy, especially with respect to the Phaedo. The epigram should thus be interpreted by stressing the intention of exposing the Platonic dialogue's internal tensions as its core, specifically for what concerns the matter of suicide.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
15th Celtic Conference in Classics, Panel "Ancient Fragmentary Literature: from quotation to reception." Cardiff, 9–12/7/2024