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Definingthe(Latin)epyllion:somerecapitulations
19
matizationorsimplificationoftheepyllionproblem.Agoodpointofdepartureshouldbe
theobservationwithwhichevenAllenwouldhaveagreedconcerningtheznon-Homeric,
,
ifnotzanti-Homeric,characteroftheminiatureepic.AsJacksonnotesabitbombastically,
“theepyllionwasbornofrevolt;itconstitutedaprotestagainstthemethodspursuedby
thepoetsoftheold-fashionedepic.”29Tisimplied,firstofall,adiferentselectionofthe
eventstobenarrated,focusonlesspopular,minormotifsorzother,versionsoftheosten-
siblywell-knowntales.Tisalsoimpliedadiferentkindofnarration,morezdigressive,
,30
episodic,withmarginalizationoreliminationofthepartsofthestorybetweenoneepi-
sodeandanotherandaquasi-dramaticindeeddivisionoftheactionintoscenes,ofen
hardlycoordinated.31
Tethirdconsequenceregardsnotjusttopicsandstylebuttheveryzideologicaldi-
mension,ofthegenre.AsIhavealreadymentioned,itisfrequentlypointedoutthatinthe
epyllionthezepic,heroesandthezepic,valuesareusuallyreduced,ifnotevensubverted
orparodied.Teprotagonistsoftheminiatureepicrevealakindofzbourgeois,character:
theyarepresentedinsituationsofeverydaylifeandbehavelikezordinary,people.Atthe
sametime,oneshouldbeawarethat,asPerutelliconvincinglyargues,thisnotalways
mustbethecase(whichdoesconfirmtheobservationthatintheepylliontraditioncer-
tainchoicesandchangesareneverdefiniteorirreversible).TeItalianscholarshows
thatCatullus,oneoftheundoubtedzarchegetai,oftheLatinminiatureepic,inhiscarm.
64doesnotdepreciateatallthevalueofmythicalheroes,quitethecontrary,heopposes
themtohisdepravedcontemporaries.32
Lastbutnotleast,alsothiszpredilectionforloveorcriminalstories,isrelatedtothe
znon-Homeric,characteroftheepyllion.Itisalmostcommonplacethatthezlittleepos,
focusesonthepsycheoftheprotagonisttotheextentunknowntothegrandepicpoetry.
29Jackson1913:40.
30Inthiscontext,itwouldbefairtomentionafeaturethatisofentreatedasoneofthemost
characteristicoftheepyllion,namelythedigressionassuch.Crump(1931:22)speakswithcer-
taintythatdigressionisalmostazmust,ofthegenre.YetLyne(1978:34-35)notesrightlythatthe
digressionis,infact,anoptionalelementintheepyllion:“Wemustnotlabelthezinsertstory,as
the(ora)definingcharacteristicoftheepyllion.”
31SeePerutelli1979:28.TeobservationwasalreadymadeandwellexplainedbyRichardson
1944:85:“Inthisgroupofpoems,noteverydetailwhichispertinenttothestoryispresented,
noreveneverydetailpertinenttothesequenceofevents.Temainprincipleoforganizationis
thedramaticselectionofthesingleimportantscene.”Richardsonrightlypointsoutthestructural
analogiesbetweentheepyllionandthetragedy(onwhichmorebelow).
32SeePerutelli1979:44-68andmyadditionalcommentsbelow.Itisworthaddingthat,as
Cameron(1995:442-444)emphasizes,thezbourgeoisethics,isnotpresentinCallimachus,sHecale,
either.Hecale,inCameron,sview,isnotatallazproletarian,
,middle-classepic:thevirtuessherepre-
sents,inparticularherhospitality,arearchetypallyepicones.Infact,Cameronrightlypointsoutin
howmanyaspectsthepoemdoesnotreallycomplywithwhatwewouldconsidertypicallyepyllic
features.Ashenotes(p.451):“TeHellenisticpoemsclassifiedasepylliadonotreallyhavethat
muchincommon–agooddeallessthantheirLatincounterparts.TeonlyHellenisticpoemthat
resemblestheLatinepylliainanysignificantway…istheEuropaofMoschus.”Tobeexact,the
observationthatcharacteristicsofLatinpoems,likeSmyrnaorCiris,shouldnotbezautomatically,
attributedtoGreektextswasmadealreadybyWilamowitz,seePerutelli1979:16-17.
