Cicero on poetry

Alexander Bril

    Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

    141 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    [Truncated] The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive study of Cicero's views on poetry, with particular emphasis on the major genres: epic, tragedy, comedy, and lyric. In general, incorporation of Ciceronian criticism of individual poets is eschewed, except in so far as such criticism contributes to the understanding of Cicero's views on poetry in general, or on the individual genres. The first chapters focus on how poetry in general might be defined in Ciceronian terms; on Cicero's views on the conditions of poetic composition, poetic inspiration and on the functions of the poet and poetry. The inescapable influence of rhetorical and ethico-political ideas on Cicero's literary criticism and theory is taken into consideration throughout all parts of the dissertation. The significance of the various dicta and testimonies from the Ciceronian corpus that appear to indicate something of Cicero's views on poetry are examined both in their individual contexts as well as in the larger context of Ciceronian literary and rhetorical theory.
    Original languageEnglish
    QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
    Awarding Institution
    • The University of Western Australia
    DOIs
    Publication statusUnpublished - 2002

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    • This thesis has been made available in the UWA Profiles and Research Repository as part of a UWA Library project to digitise and make available theses completed before 2003. If you are the author of this thesis and would like it removed from the UWA Profiles and Research Repository, please contact [email protected]

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