Anticipation and Anachrony in Statius’ Thebaid (Bloomsbury Classical Studies Monographs)

Applying the latest narratological theory and focusing on the use of anachrony (or 'chronological deviation'), this book explores how Statius competes - successfully - for a place within an established literary canon. Given the tremendous pressure on poets to render familiar stories in unfamiliar and novel ways, how did he achieve this? When Statius elected to sing of the quarrelsome sons of Oedipus he was acutely aware that this was a well-trod road, one frequently reproduced in a variety of genres - epic, drama and lyric poetry. Despite this highly varied corpus against which he sought to contend, he boasts that his epic has novelty and proudly declares that he is now counted among the 'prisca nomina', or ancient names, that sang of Thebes. And indeed precisely the fact that there were so many story-versions (a greater number survive for comparison than for any other work from antiquity, rivaling even the popularity of the Trojan legend) means that the story is conveniently positioned to offer a unique exploration into how Statius creates a compelling story despite working within a saturated and overly familiar mythic tradition. This book argues that it is chiefly through the use of narrative anachrony, or non-chronological modes of narration, that Statius manipulates states of anticipation, suspense, and even surprise in his audience. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Preface Introduction: notum iter ad Thebas Prisca Nomina An Audience for Thebes Suspense, Anticipation, and Surprise Epic and Drama 1 Beginning with the End They Call Me Jocasta The Thebaid’s Prologue 2 Portentous Beginnings Argos and the Seeds of War Interlude: Eteocles’ Dream (2.1–83) The Wedding Portents The Necklace of Harmonia Argia’s Unease Amphiaraus and the Flight of Birds The Bacchant and the Necromancy 3 Hypsipyle and the Army at Nemea Hypsipyle’s Lemnian Narrative The Death and Funeral of Opheltes Funeral Consolations 4 Jocasta Tisiphone’s Fears Jocasta and Polynices Jocasta and Eteocles Chronology and Suspense Strategies of Elision Jocasta’s Hope and Death 5 iam pater est The Curse Anticipation Outcome 6 Portentous Ends Amphiaraus Tydeus Hippomedon Parthenopaeus Capaneus Adrastus Menoeceus 7 hic imperat, ille minatur The Anonymous Critic The End of Polynices The End of Eteocles 8 Theseus and Concluding the Thebaid The Idalian Doves The Edict of Creon The Choices of Ornytus ubi incluta fama Antigone? The Twin Flames Choosing Theseus fidissime Phegeus Notes Bibliography Index