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Definingthe(Latin)epyllion:somerecapitulations
15
zpoeticsoftheepyllion,orofthezepyllicfeatures,
.12Consequently,veryfewscholarsnowa-
dayswouldhesitatetousethetermwhichissohandy,especiallyifcomparedwithits
would-besubstitutes,muchtoolengthyandlesseasilyapplicabletopoemsvaryingquite
significantlyinsubjectandtreatment,13andthetermwhichhasalreadybeensanctioned
bythephilologicaltradition.
Inacertainsense,however,theepyllioncouldbeconsideredaznon-genre,
,asDavid
Brightstatedsomewhatprovocativelyinhismonographdedicatedpreciselytominiature
epicinVandalAfrica.“Teancientsthemselvesneveradoptedadistincttermforthe
form,andthereisnoancientdiscussionofwhatitsrulesorlimitsshouldbe.”14Onecan
hardlypointtoonesingletextthatwouldberecognizedbyauthorspracticingtheshort
hexameterpoemastheirarchetypicunquestionablemodel.15Rather,whatcharacterizes
our(non)genreisthe,Alexandrianparexcellence,fondnessofexperimentation,akind
ofinnateopennessto“fundamentalchangesofstyle,emphasis,andoutlook.”16AsAles-
sandroPerutellinotes,oneofthemostpersistentandconstantqualitiesoftheepyllion
traditionisthefactthatthechoicesmadebyoneoranotherauthorareneverdefiniteand
thechangesneverseemirreversible.17
Atthesametime,itshouldbeemphasizedthattheminiatureepic,experimentalinits
natureasitmaybe,turnsoutnotjustanephemeralormarginalphenomenoninthehistory
ofancientliteraryforms.Undoubtedly,itisnotoneofthemostregularlyexploitedmeans
ofexpression;rather,ithasatendencytoappearandre-appearatcertainmomentsoftrans-
formation,culturalaswellassocio-political.Asithasbeenjustlypointedout,theepyllion
developsintheHellenisticworldintheperiodofcrisisofthevaluessetandrespectedin
epylliadoesnotexcludeprofoundandimportantdiferencesamongthemresultingfromthezex-
perimental,characterofthegenre,onwhichIwritebelow.Ontheotherhand,asIshallemphasize
throughoutthisopeningchapterfollowingespeciallyPerutelli(yetinterestingly,theobservation
isalsomadebyCameron1995:451),onecanpointtorelevantcommonfeaturesoftheepyllion
genre,whichdoallowustocallitagenre,butinparticular(ifnotonly)inLatinpoetry,hence,the
stressplacedontheLatinepyllioninthetitleofthepresentchapter.Whatisnolessimportantis
thefactthatinLatinpoetry,fromCatullustoOvid(aswasshownpreciselybyPerutelli),onecan
observethezdynamics,ofsomespecificqualities,especiallyoftheapproachofthespeakingegoto
thenarratedstory.TiscanhardlybedetectedinGreekepyllia.
12AsemphasizedintheveryintroductiontohisstudybyBright1987:3-4.Onsomelimita-
tionsofBright,sapproach,seemorebelow.
13AsemphasizedalsobyWolf(1988:303)whoconcludeshisnotequotingW
.Keach:“epyl-
lionissimplymuchhandieroveranextendedstretchofwritingthaneroticmythologicalnarrative
poemorevenOvidiannarrativepoem.”
14Bright1987:3.
15Callimachus,sHecalecertainlydoesnotpossesssuchaparadigmaticvalue;infact,incertain
aspectsitisnotablydiferentfromsubsequentepyllia,asCameron(1995:437-453)justlypoints
outinhisstudy.Callimacheannarration,especiallytheonedevelopedintheAetia,isofcoursean
inspiringpointofreferencefortheepyllionpoets,inparticulartheLatinones,apartfromsimilari-
ties,therearestillalsosignificantdiferences(onbothquestions,seemorebelow).
16Bright1987:6.TeexperimentalcharacteroftheepyllionisalsoemphasizedbyPerutelli
1979:28.
17Perutelli1979:117.
