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INTRODUCTION
9
literariness,doesnothavetobezempty,orzunoriginal,
.Quitethecontrary,itisperfectly
abletorendertensionsanddilemmasofitstime.
InPartTree,Iconcentrateontheepigram,agenre,intheRomanliterature,created
(defacto)byMartial,andyetagenrewhichremainedratherfarfromstandardizedeven
aferthepoetfromBilbilisanddespitehisowngenericself-consciousness(Martialis
undoubtedlyoneofthebesttheoreticiansofthekindofpoetryhepracticed).Inthehis-
toryoftheRomanepigramaferMartialthereisapparentlybutoneauthorofcomparable
genericself-awareness,namelyLuxorius.AsIdemonstrate,Luxoriuscanbeseeninthis
senseasadiscoverer,orratherre-discoverer,oftheMartialianepigramma.
Tepoetsoflateantiquityhardlyifeveracknowledgethattheirintentionistoemu-
latethemastersofold.8MuchmoretypicalofthemistheattitudedescribedbyCurtius
asafektierteBescheidenheit.9Tisattitudecanbealsoconsideredidiosyncraticofsome
authorsdiscussedhere.Naturally,suchaposeshouldnotbetakenatfacevalue,even
thoughitmayrevealnotonlythepoet,shypocrisyandplayfulnessbutalsoaquiteserious
andbitterreflectionofanzintellectual,(theterm,howevercertainlysomewhatanachro-
nistic,is,inmyview,applicableatleasttoDracontius,arenownedlawyer,andtoLuxo-
rius,asophista,butIwouldnothesitatetocallzintellectuals,alsoMaximianusandEn-
nodius)witnessingcultureinthetimeoftransition.Tattransitionmaywellbelabeled
bypessimistsaszcrisis,orzchaos,(actuallyitisMaximianuswhospeaksofgeneralechaos).
Nevertheless,oneshouldadmitthatthankstoDracontius,Maximianus,andLuxorius
theRomanpoetryandtheRomanliteraryaudiencezrecollect,theminiatureepic,thelove
elegy,andthe(Martialian)epigram.Tisfactcanbeseenasasignofacertainzrevival,
(thewordzrenaissance,mightbeanexaggeration),evenifitis,indeed,momentaryand
evenifitinextricablyblendshopewithdespair.Terefore,Inditjustifiableaferall
touseheretermsthathavepositiveconnotations,likezreturn,orpreciselyzrediscovery,
.
Whatthepoetsdiscussedinthepresentbookproposeis,infact,asortofzrediscovery,
ofthefeaturesofacertaingenre,asregardsitscomposition,content,evenmetrics(espe-
ciallyinthecaseofepigram),butalsoofitspotential.Tispotentialofthegenremeans
itsabilitytodevelop,change,andabsorbnew,zalien,elements,whichundoubtedlyblurits
homogeneitybut,asmentionedabove,widenitssemantics.Tus,areaderoftheepyllion
byDracontius,theelegybyMaximianus,andtheepigrambyLuxoriusshouldnotexpect
thattheseworksandthesenewembodimentsofthezold,genreswillbewhollyidenti-
calwiththeirzarchetypes,
.Wereitso,itwouldmeanthatwereadbutsecond-rateversi-
ers,indeed(whichisnotthecase,andhopefullynotsolelyinmyownview).Wemay
expectratherthatthankstothereadingofDracontius,sepyllion,Maximianus,selegy,and
Luxorius,sepigramourunderstandingoftheseverygenresmaybecomefulleranddeeper
thanifitwasnarrowedonlytothestudyofthezclassicalphase,oftheRomanliterature.
8Inpointoffact,suchlackofemulativepretentionsisshownalreadybytheImperialpoets.
TeconclusionofStatius,sTebaidmaybeexemplaryhere,inwhichthepoet,apostrophizinghis
epos,statesclearly:nectudivinamAeneidatempta,/sedlongesequereetvestigiasemperadora
(Teb.12.816-817).
9Or“AfectedModesty,”seeCurtius1990:83-85.