This book contextualizes Claudian's handling of the Proserpina myth and the underworld in the history of literature and religion while showing intersections with and differences between the literary and religious uses of the underworld topos. In doing so, the study provides an incentive to rethink the dichotomy of the terms 'religious' and 'non-religious' in favour of a more nuanced model of references and refunctionalisations of elements which are, or could be, religiously connotated. A close philological analysis of De raptu Proserpinae identifies the sphere of myth and poetry as an area of expressive freedom, a parallel universe to theological discourses (whether they be pagan-philosophical or Christian), while the profound understanding and skilful use of this particular sphere – a formative aspect of European religious and intellectual history – is postulated as a characteristic of the educated Roman and of Claudian's poetry.

This monograph examines the literary representation of encounters between the living and the dead in Homer and the Roman epic poets of the early imperial period. The focus is on one particular situation: a witness to the afterlife (e.g. Odysseus or the Sibyl) who narrates encounters with the dead that he or she cannot (it would appear) actually have seen. This insufficiently studied and intriguing motif, namely seemingly impossible eye-witness testimony, can already be traced in Homer and then with variations in Vergil, the Culex poet, Lucan, Silius Italicus, and Statius. Die vorliegende Monographie untersucht die literarische Gestaltung von Begegnungen zwischen Lebenden und Toten bei Homer und den römischen Epikern der frühen Kaiserzeit. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei eine besondere Situation: Ein Jenseitszeuge (z.B. Odysseus oder die Sibylle) berichtet von Begegnungen mit Toten, die er oder sie (scheinbar) nicht gesehen haben kann. Dieses unzureichend erforschte und faszinierende Motiv, nämlich die scheinbar unmögliche Autopsie, lässt sich bereits bei Homer und dann in Variationen bei Vergil, dem Culex-Dichter, Lucan, Silius Italicus und Statius nachweisen.

This is the first book-length study of the reception of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica in the epic poems of Silius Italicus (Punica), Statius (Thebaid, Achilleid), and Claudian (De Raptu Proserpinae). It sheds new light on the importance of Valerius' poem and enhances our understanding of the intertextual richness of imperial Latin epic. The readings offered in this book provide new evidence to support the view that Valerius' Argonautica predates the Punica and Thebaid, thus helping to clarify the literary history of the Flavian period (69-96 CE). Stover shows how Silius, Statius, and Claudian use programmatic allusion to the Argonautica to present themselves as Valerius' epic successors. Silius, Statius, and Claudian rework Valerian material to achieve various effects; analysis of these effects is organized by the primary function of allusive interactions, such as 'reversal', 'enrichment', and 'contrast'. This study is essential for scholars of Latin epic poetry. Yet the Greek and Latin of its close readings are translated, making it accessible to all readers interested in intertextuality, comparative literature, and other related topics.

This book contextualizes Claudian's handling of the Proserpina myth and the underworld in the history of literature and religion while showing intersections with and differences between the literary and religious uses of the underworld topos. In doing so, the study provides an incentive to rethink the dichotomy of the terms 'religious' and 'non-religious' in favour of a more nuanced model of references and refunctionalisations of elements which are, or could be, religiously connotated. A close philological analysis of De raptu Proserpinae identifies the sphere of myth and poetry as an area of expressive freedom, a parallel universe to theological discourses (whether they be pagan-philosophical or Christian), while the profound understanding and skilful use of this particular sphere - a formative aspect of European religious and intellectual history - is postulated as a characteristic of the educated Roman and of Claudian's poetry.

The Greek biographer and philosopher Plutarch of Chaeronea (c. 45-125 AD) makes a fascinating case-study for reception studies not least because of his uniquely extensive and diverse afterlife. Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Plutarch offers the first comprehensive analysis of Plutarch’s rich reception history from the Roman Imperial period through Late Antiquity and Byzantium to the Renaissance, Enlightenment and the modern era. The thirty-seven chapters that make up this volume, written by a remarkable line-up of experts, explore the appreciation, contestation and creative appropriation of Plutarch himself, his thought and work in the history of literature across various cultures and intellectual traditions in Europe, America, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Late Antiquity is often assumed to have witnessed the demise of literature as a social force and its retreat into the school and the private reading room: whereas the sophists of the Second Sophistic were influential social players, their late antique counterparts are thought to have been overshadowed by bishops. Literature and Society in the Fourth Century AD argues that this presumed difference should be attributed less to a fundamental change in the role of literature than to different scholarly methodologies with which Greek and Latin texts from the second and the fourth century are being studied. Focusing on performance, the literary construction of reality and self-presentation, this volume highlights how literature continued to play an important role in fourth-century elite society.

Two major French medieval literary works that claim to teach their readers the art of love are virtually torn apart by the contradictions and conflicts they contain. In Andreas Capellanus's late twelfth-century Latin De amore, the author instructs his friend Walter in the amatory art in the first two books, but then harshly repudiates his own teachings and love itself in a third and final book. In Jean de Meun's encyclopedic continuation of the Romance of the Rose, written in French in the 1270s, a succession of allegorical figures alternately promote and excoriate the lover's amatory pursuits. Jean's romance, moreover, virtually rewrites the dream vision of Guillaume de Lorris, which it claims simply to extend, and ends with the depiction of a sexual act that seems to throw the book's whole structure into confusion. The more closely one reads this works, Peter L. Allen contents, the harder it is to understand them: "Didactic, heavy-handed, and problematic, they teach would-be lovers how to behave in order to have others accomplish their desires, yet they also contain vociferous passages that dissuade their protagonists from the practice of this art, which, they claim, leads not only to earthly destruction but also to eternal damnation." Readers from the Middle Ages to the present have been troubled by the fact that these texts are both radically self-contradictory and fundamentally at odds with the accepted morality of medieval Christian Europe. And for decades, scholars have tried to determine how these two works are related to what is often referred to as "courtly love." In The Art of Love, Allen persuasive argues that the De amore and the Romance of the Rose are central to the courtly tradition. Allen contends that their conflicts and contradictions are not signs of confusion or artistic failure, but are instead essential clues which show that the medieval works follow the disruptive structural model of Ovid's first century elegiac Ars amatoria (Art of Love) and Remedia amoris (Cures for Love). Andreas's and Jean's works, no less than Ovid's, teach not the art of love for practicing lovers, but the literary art of love poetry and fiction. Based squarely on Ovid's poems, which were among the most widely read classical texts in medieval Europe, the De amore and the Romance of the Rose use the classical tradition in a particularly assertive fashion—and suggest a way for fantasies of love to exist even against a background of ecclesiastical prohibition.

By working through these cases and the accompanying learning exercises, both pre-service and practicing school librarians will strengthen their readiness, expand their perspectives, and build confidence for solving problems and making informed, thoughtful decisions in their school libraries. In their preparation for school librarianship, library students learn foundational ideals and observe best practices that center and guide their work. However, discussions of aspirational versions of school librarianship often leave out sufficient practice in managing the many challenges and decisions school librarians face on the job. In this book, veteran educator Rebecca J. Morris uses stories of day-to-day librarianship to empower school librarians as they navigate and manage the complex interactions, decisions, and opportunities of their work. The book's alignment with the AASL/CAEP standards makes it helpful to school library educators planning curriculum, syllabi, and course activities. Perfect for reading or study groups, graduate classes, and professional development, these stories invite reflection and lively conversation.