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Apollonius Rhodius s "Argonautica," composed in the 3rd century
BCE, is the epic retelling of Jason s quest for the golden fleece.
Along with his contemporaries Callimachus and Theocritus,
Apollonius refashioned Greek poetry to meet the interests and
aesthetics of a Hellenistic audience, especially that of Alexandria
in the Ptolemaic period following Alexander s death. In this
carefully crafted work of 5,835 hexameter verses in four books, the
author draws on the preceding literary traditions of epic (Homer),
lyric (Pindar), and tragedy (especially Euripides) but creates an
innovative and complex narrative that includes geography, religion,
ethnography, mythology, adventure, exploration, human psychology,
and, most of all, the coming of age and love affair of Jason and
Medea. It greatly influenced Roman authors such as Catullus,
Virgil, and Ovid, and was imitated by Valerius Flaccus.
This new edition of the first volume in the Loeb Classical
Library offers a fresh translation and improved text.
The Argonautica (also Argonautika) is a Greek epic poem written by
Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BCE. The only surviving
Hellenistic epic, the Argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of
Jason and the Argonauts to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the
mythical land of Colchis. Another, much less-known Argonautica,
using the same body of myth, was composed by Valerius Flaccus
during the time of Vespasian. The Argonautica differs in some
respects from traditional or Homeric Greek epic, though Apollonius
used Homer as his principal model. The Argonautica is much shorter
than Homer's epics, with four books totaling less than 6,000 lines,
while the Iliad runs to more than 15,000. Apollonius may have been
influenced here by Callimachus' advocacy of brevity, or by
Aristotle's demand for "poems on a smaller scale than the old
epics, and answering in length to the group of tragedies presented
at a single sitting" (Poetics). Argonautica meets Aristotle's
requirements; each of the Argonautica's four books are around the
same length as a tragedy. Tragedies were traditionally performed in
groups of four, three tragedies and a satyr play, whose total
length was very nearly that of the Argonautica. Though critics have
concentrated on Homeric echoes in Argonautica, direct borrowings
from tragedy, such as Euripides' Medea, can be found. Apollonius'
epic also differs from the more traditional epic in its weaker,
more human protagonist Jason J.F. Carspecken noted his character
traits, which are more characteristic of the genre of realism than
epic, in that he was: "chosen leader because his superior declines
the honour, subordinate to his comrades, except once, in every
trial of strength, skill or courage, a great warrior only with the
help of magical charms, jealous of honor but incapable of asserting
it, passive in the face of crisis, timid and confused before
trouble, tearful at insult, easily despondent, gracefully
treacherous in his dealings with the love-sick Medea..."
Argonautica is often placed in a literary tradition that leads to
the Hellenistic novel. It is also unlike the archaic Epic tradition
in its many discursions into local custom, aetiology, and other
popular subjects of Hellenistic poetry. Apollonius also chooses the
less shocking versions of some myths, having Medea, for example,
merely watch the murder of Absyrtus instead of murdering him
herself. The gods are relatively distant and inactive throughout
much of the epic, following the Hellenistic trend to allegorize and
rationalize religion. Heterosexual loves such as Jason's are more
emphasized than homosexual loves such as that of Heracles and
Hylas, another trend in Hellenistic literature, as heterosexual
love gained prestige. Many critics name the love of Jason and Medea
in this book as the best and most beautiful part of the
Argonautica, inspiring some of Apollonius' finest writing: So Love
the Destroyer Blazed in a coil around her heart, her mind's keen
anguish Now flushed her soft cheeks, now drained them of all color.
The Argonautica is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius
in the 3rd century BC. The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the
Argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts
to retrieve the Golden Fleece from remote Colchis. Their heroic
adventures and Jason's relationship with the Colchian
Princess/Sorceress Medea were already well known to Hellenistic
audiences, which enabled Apollonius to go beyond a simple
narrative, giving it a scholarly emphasis suitable to the times.
Apollonius of Rhodes, or Apollonius Rhodius is best known as the
author of the Argonautica. His other poems, which survive only in
small fragments, concerned the beginnings or foundations of cities,
such as Alexandria and Cnidus - places of interest to the
Ptolemies, whom he served as a scholar and librarian at the Library
of Alexandria.
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book
may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,
poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the
original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We
believe this work is culturally important, and despite the
imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of
our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in
the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields
in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as
an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification:
++++ Specimen Inaugurale De Apollonii Rhodii Laudibus Poeticis...
Didericus Balfoort, Apollonius Rhodius Joh. Altheer, 1823
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book
may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,
poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the
original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We
believe this work is culturally important, and despite the
imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of
our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in
the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields
in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as
an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification:
++++ L'Argonautica Di Apollonio Rodio Tradotta: Ed Illustrata ...;
Volume 1 Of L'Argonautica Di Apollonio Rodio Tradotta: Ed
Illustrata; Apollonius (Rhodius.) Apollonius (Rhodius.) Cardinal
Lodovico Flangini V. Monaldini e P. Giunchi, 1791
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