Description
Book SynopsisThis first monograph in English on Colluthus situates this late antique author within his cultural context and offers a new appraisal of his hexameter poem The Abduction of Helen, the end-point of the pagan Greek epic tradition, which was composed in the Christianised Egyptian Thebaid. The book evaluates the poem’s connections with long-established and contemporary literary and artistic genres and with Neoplatonic philosophy, and analyzes the poet’s re-negotiation of traditional material to suit the expectations of a late fifth-century AD audience. It explores Colluthus' interpretation of the contemporary fascination with visuality, identifies new connections between Colluthus and Claudian, and shows how the author’s engagement with the poetry of Nonnus goes much further than previously shown.
Trade Review''All in all, the book is an enjoyable read, and has identified many thought-provoking parallels and sources for Colluthus’ poem. It is, therefore, a very welcome addition to scholarship on late Greek poetry, an area that is still relatively underexplored, and to which Cadau’s monograph will hopefully help draw more attention.'' Fotini Hadjittofi, University of Lisbon, Euphrosyne 2017.45
