The Roman Self In Late Antiquity: Prudentius And The Poetics Of The Soul

The Roman Self in Late Antiquity This page intentionally left blank The Roman Self in Late Antiquity Prudentius and the Poetics of the Soul Marc Mastrangelo The Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore ∫ 2008 The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2008 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 987654321 The Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www.press.jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mastrangelo, Marc. The Roman self in late antiquity : Prudentius and the poetics of the soul / Marc Mastrangelo. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-8018-8722-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-8018-8722-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Prudentius, b. 348. 2. Virgil—Influence. 3. Literature, Comparative— Latin, Classical and post-classical. I. Title. pa6648.p7m37 2007 871%.01—dc22 2007023329 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or [email protected] The Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible. All of our book papers are acid-free, and our jackets and covers are printed on paper with recycled content. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1 vii 1 An Epic Successor? Prudentius, Aeneid 6, and Roman Epic Tradition 14 2 Christian History and the Narrative of Rome 41 3 Christian Theology and the Making of Allegory 82 4 Pagan Philosophy and the Making of Allegory 121 Epilogue. Self, Poetry, and Literary History in Prudentius 160 Notes Works Cited Index 177 239 251 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments The love of literature and its history is behind the research and writing of this book. Such a sentiment is necessary these days—though by no means su≈cient —in order to publish a book of literary criticism that focuses on a noncanonical, ancient author. I view the work of Prudentius as a dynamic, living presence within the long tradition of Roman literature reaching back to Lucretius and Vergil and looking ahead to Dante. Often g