Epic in uncharted waters: the genres of Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica
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Date
16/08/2022Author
Tsakiris, Manolis
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Abstract
This thesis explores the generic identity of the Argonautica of the Hellenistic poet Apollonius
Rhodius. The strong similarities between the Argonautica and Homeric poetry in terms of
language, structure and content have also, inevitably, affected the generic reception of the
poem, typically understood as an epic after the Homeric manner. This thesis will attempt to
demonstrate that, regardless of the undeniable significance of the Homeric epics as the
dominant generic matrix of the Argonautica, Apollonius’ poem consists of a remarkably more
nuanced generic layering. An entry point into the decipherment of the Argonautica’s generic
identity is offered, as in most works of classical literature, through the poem’s proem. The
Argonautica, however, entails the novelty of containing not one but at least three proems
which, it will be proposed, affect both the poem’s structure and its generic tissue. With each
new beginning, as announced with each proem, readers are invited to recalibrate their generic
expectations. It will be argued that the ensuing structure resembles that of Cyclic poetry, with
the poem’s separate sub-sections organised as semi-independent poems. Books 1 and 2, which
jointly comprise the first sub-section and strongly emphasise Apollo’s contribution to the
Argonautic mission, are significantly influenced by the Homeric Hymns; their structure
assimilates that of a (Homeric) Hymn to Apollo. Book 3 is structured as a martial epic
progressively obtaining elements of didactic poetry which reflect the instructions and
assistance which Jason receives from Medea. Finally, Book 4 comprises a double generic
articulation, that of a nostos poem for the returning Argonauts and that of a wedding poem for
the fleeing Medea, with the two generic structures inscribed in the narrative in parallel, like
opposite sides of the same coin. This thesis, which offers the Argonautica’s first systematic
study of literary genre in and of itself, will attempt to demonstrate that an in-depth exploration
of the Argonautica’s generic identity uncovers hidden layers of meaning and has a profound
impact on our understanding of the poem.