Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Definingthe(Latin)epyllion:somerecapitulations
17
Furthermore,itmustbeaddedherethatlateantiquityisanothertimeofprolonged
crisis,virtuallyineverysectorofpubliclife,economic,religious,military,andpolitical,
acrisiscomparabletosomeextentwiththeonecausedbythedisintegrationoftheRoman
RepublicintherstcenturyB.C.22Henceonceagaintheepyllion,tellingamythicalstory,
seemsanefcientmeansofexpressioninamomentoftransition,ofadecisivechange,
andapparentlyitseemssonotjustforthepoethimself,alearnedjuristandaformer
studentofthegrammaticusFelicianus,butalsoforhispublic.Tissimplefactshouldbe
emphasizednottoseeintheAfricanauthormerelyazhighbrow,oranzantiquarian,who
strivestoreactivatetheold,paganmyth,hardlyunderstandableifnotcompletelymean-
inglessinhistimes.23Quitethecontrary,asIsabellaGualandri24convincinglyargues,to
Dracontius,sreadershiphismythologicalpoemscouldappealnotjustaszirreal,ornot
morethanzpast,
,zbygone,stories.Tecontemporariesofthepoetwitnessedtragedies
that“woulddemand,and,intheirgreatness,perhapsout-task,thepowerofthetragic
languageofanAeschylusoraSophocles.”25Tus,Dracontius,smythicalnarrativescould,
indoctipersonaggichecostituivanoiverticisocialiepoliticidellediverseregioni(occidentali)
dell,impero.”Asamatteroffact,Bright(1987:20)arguesquitesimilarly,seeinginDracontius
“anauthorwhowasattheconfluenceofsomanyculturalfactors:GreekandLatinletters,anew
Germanicstrain,theclashofpaganandChristian.”Indeed,Brightisinclinedtoagreewiththehy-
pothesisadvancedoncebyKuijper(1958:7f.)thatthepoetmayhavebeenofmixedRomanand
VandallineagehavingaRomanfatherandaVandalmother(pp.14-15and67-68).Heevenwon-
ders(seepp.65-68)ifcertainmotifsofDracontius,spoemscouldnotbeinterpretedastakenfrom
thepopular,illiteratecultureoftheVandalsinAfrica(likethefolktaleelementsintheMedea).
However,thiscanhardlybeproven.Onemightonlynote,notwhollyseriouslyofcourse,thatthe
somewhatzromantic,imageofDracontiusastheheirtotheRomantraditionsthroughhisfatheras
wellastothezoutlandish,Vandalheritagethroughhismotherdoesappealtoourzmodern,sensitiv-
itytothevalueofzmulticulturality,
.Ontheotherhand(beingmoreseriousnow),thehypothesis
thatDracontius,saudiencewasindeedzmulticultural,inthesensethatitconsistedofpeopleof
variouscultural(aswellasmaybeethnical)backgroundsdoesndsomecorroborationinwhatthe
poetsaysinRom.1abouttheschoolofhisteacherFelicianus:quifugatasAfricanaereddisurbilit-
teras,/barbarisquiRomulidasiungisauditorio(ll.13-14),eventhoughIwouldnotargue,
asKuijperoncedid,thatDracontiushereplaceshimselfamongthebarbari.
22AsarguedbyMalamud(1993:156)inherpaperontheAegritudoPerdicaeentitledquite
significantly“Vandalisingepic:”“Lateantiquesocietyexistedinastateofprolongedcrisiseco-
nomic,religious,militaryandpoliticalasfarreachinginitsefectsasthecrisiscausedbythe
disintegrationoftheRomanRepublicintherstcenturyB.C.,anditisnotmethodologicallyin-
admissibletomakebroadanalogiesbetweenthesetwoperiodsandtheliteratureeachproduced.”
23Quartiroli(1947:25)statesthatDracontius,inefect,failstocomprehendthezfull,senseof
theancientmythandtreatsitaszdeadmatter,:“nell,animodelpoetailmondopaganoèmorto,non
senehaunsuperamentoartistico:rimangonoformevecchie,nonmenomortedellorocontenuto.”
24Gualandri1999:67-68.
25Iquote(mentionedbyGualandriandearlierbyP
.Courcelle)theopeningoftheletterto
ApellionbyTeodoret,describingthecaptureofCarthagebytheVandalsin439:“Tesuferingsof
theCarthaginianswoulddemand,and,intheirgreatness,perhapsout-task,thepowerofthetragic
languageofanAeschylusoraSophocles.CarthageofoldwaswithdifcultytakenbytheRomans.
AgainandagainshecontendedwithRomeforthemasteryoftheworld,andbroughtRomewithin
dangerofdestruction.Nowtheruinhasbeenthemerebyplayofbarbarians.Nowdignifiedmem-