Hellenistic poets opted and were very likely expected to deal
meaningfully, and perhaps competitively, with the tradition they
inherited. They also needed to secure the goodwill of actual or
potential patrons. Apollonius, the author of a novel heroic epic,
eschews references to literary polemics and patronage. Callimachus
often adopts a polemical stance against some colleagues in order to
suggest his poetic excellence. Theocritus chooses a third way,
which has not been investigated adequately. He avoids antagonism
but ironizes the theme of poetic excellence and distances himself
from the tradition of competitive success. He does not cast his
narrators as superior to predecessors and contemporaries but
stresses the advantages and merits of colleagues. This rejection of
conceit is connected with a major strand in Theocritean poetry: the
power of word, including song, to provide assistance to characters
in distress is a major open issue. Language is versatile and potent
but not all-powerful. Song gives pleasure but is not a panacea
while instruction and advice are never helpful and may even prove
harmful. Most genuine pieces are ambiguous and open-ended so that
the aspirations of characters are not presented as doomed to
failure.
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