Dynamics of marginality : liminal characters and marginal groups in Neronian and Flavian literature

This volume explores the theme of marginality in the literature and history of the Neronian and Flavian periods. As a concept of modern criticism, the term marginality has been applied to the connection between the uprooted experience of immigrant communities and the subsequent diasporas these groups formed in their new homes. The concept also covers individuals or groups who were barred from access to resources and equal opportunities based on their deviation from a "normal" or dominant culture or ideology. From a literary vantage point, we are interested in the voices of "marginal," or underappreciated authors and critical voices. The distinction between __marginalia__ and "the" text is often nebulous, with marginal comments making their way into the paradosis and being regarded, in modern criticism, as important sources of information in their own right. The analysis of relevant passages from various authors including Lucan, Petronius, Persius, Philo of Alexandria, Pliny the Elder, Silius Italicus, and Statius, as well as the __Moretum__ of the __Appendix Vergiliana__ is vital for our understanding of the treatment of marginalized people in various literary genres in relation to each one’s different purposes. Acknowledgments 5 Contents 7 Abbreviations 9 Marginality in Neronian and Flavian Literature 11 Marginality and Philo of Alexandria 19 Grafting and the Marginal in Pliny’s Natural History 35 In the Realm of the Senses: Simulus’ Experience in the Moretum 53 Satire from the Margins: The Periphery in Persius’ Satires 71 Crime and Punishment: Law and Marginality in Petronius’ Satyrica 91 Much to Do with Priapus: From Religious Margins to the Center of Petronius’ Satyrica 107 Marginalizing Exemplarity? Hercules in Silius Italicus’ Punica 123 Between Life and Death: Hannibal at the Center of the Margins in Silius Italicus’ Punica 17 147 List of Contributors 163 Bibliography 165 General Index 179 Index Locorum 181