Statius Thebaid VII: A Commentary

508 Pages·1994·8.808 MB·English

by  Johannes Jacobus Louis Smolenaars

STATIUS ·THEBAID · VII
A Commentary
MNEMOSYNE
BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BATA VA
----- ------------- -- -- ---- -
COLLEGERUNT
J.M. BREMER, L.F.JANSSEN, H. PINKSTER
H. W. PLEKET , C.J. RUijGH , P.H. SCHRIJVERS
BIBLIOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT
C.J. RUijGH, KLASSIEK SEMINARIUM, OUDE TURFMARKT 129, AMSTERDAM
SUPPLEMENTUM CENTESIMUM TRICESIMUM QUARTUM
J.J.L. SMOLENAARS
STATIUS ·THEBAID · VII
A Commentary
STATIUS
THEBAID VII
A Commentary
BY
J.J. L. SMOLENAARS
E.J. BRILL
LEIDEN · NEW YORK · KOLN
1994
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smolenaars, Johannes Jacobus Louis.
Statius Thebaid VII : a commentary / by J.J.L. Smolenaars.
p. cm. - (Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava.
Supplementum, ISSN 0169-8958 ; 134)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 9004100296 (alk. paper)
I. Statius, P. Papinius (Publius Papinius). Thebais. Liber 7.
2. Seven against Thebes (Greek mythology) in literature. 3. Epic
poetry, Latin-History and criticism. 4. Rhetoric, Ancient.
5. Virgil-Influence. 6. Virgil. Aeneis. I. Statius, P. Papinius
(Publius Papinius). Thebais. Liber 7. 1994. II. Title.
III. Title: Thebaid VII. IV. Title: Statius Thebaid 7. V. Title:
Statius Thebaid seven. VI. Series.
PA6697.A43S63 1994
873'.0l-dc20 94-2817
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahm.e
[Mnemosyne/ Supplementum]
Mnemosyne : bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum. -
Leiden ; New York ; Koln : Brill.
Friiher Schriftenreihe
134. Smolenaars, Johannes J. L.: Statius Thebaid VII. - 1994
Smolenaars, Johannes J. L.:
Statius Thebaid VII: a commentary / by J. J. L. Smolenaars. -
Leiden ; New York ; Koln : Brill, 1994
(Mnemosyne : Supplementum; 134)
ISBN 90-04---10029-6
NE: Statius, Publius Papinius: Thebaid
ISSN 0 169-8958
ISBN 90 04 I 0029 6
© Copyright 1994 by EJ. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reseroed. No part ef this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
a retrieval .rystem, or transmitted in any farm or 1iji any means, ekctronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission .from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items far internal or personal
use is granted 1iji EJ. Brill provided that
the appropriate fees are paid direct{y to Copyright
Ckarance Center, 2 7 Congress Street, Sakrn .MA
01970, USA. Fees are subject to change.
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
patris memoriae

CONTENTS
Preface ..........................................................................................
ix
Legenda ........................................................................................ xi
Introduction:
I. Sta ti us & the Thebaid ..... .................... .... ...... ...... ...... .. .. .... .... xin
2. Literary aspects of Thebaid VII ........................................ xx
Commentary ............................................................................... .
Appendix of imitated Passages .................................................. 395
Bibliography ................................................................................. 424
Indices
I of Latin Names ................................................................... 435
II of Latin Words ................................................................... 438
III of Subjects and Names ...................................................... 444
IV of Passages referred to in Sta ti us .. .. . .... .. .. .. .. . .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. . 448
V of Passages referred to in other Authors ........................ 450

PREFACE
This book, the first commentary on Ihebaid VII since Barth ( 1664)
and Amar & Lemaire (1825-30), grew out of my doctoral dissertation
(unpublished), submitted to the Faculty of Arts of the University of
Amsterdam in 1983 (A Commentary on Book Vil, 1-451). This first part
has been considerably revised and adapted, under the influence of
my growing conviction that one of the main characteristics of Statius'
poetic technique is 'multiple imitation' (see Introduction 2.). In addition
to clarifying and explaining the text on a grammatical and stylistic
level, the commentary analyses the text as a system of intertextual
references. In the case of Statius' poetry, we must deal with a variety
of 'code models' as defined by Conte ( 1968: 28). Identification of the
conceptual, thematic and stylistic models is considered a pre-condition
for the interpretation of the poet's artistic intentions; if successful, this
analysis will elucidate Statius' deliberate and often systematic exploi
tation of a specific source. As is now generally agreed, Baehrens'
assumption "eum (scil. Statium) vulpis instar delevisse pedum vestigia
caudis" (adapting Ach. I 60) is incorrect.
In establishing Statius' intermediary texts I was often guided by
the well-known commentaries on Vergil and Ovid (Conington-Nettleship,
Austin and Bomer). The rich studies on the subject by Knauer and
Juhnke also helped me to reveal the complexity of the literary models
on the basis of which the text must be interpreted. Often the literary
parallels adduced serve to establish the 'subtexts' that Statius wanted
us to recognize, but on occasion I was unable to detect his specific
source(s). I hope this book will contribute to our understanding and
appreciation of Statius' highly sophisticated use of the literary past
and stimulate further study on the fascinating subject of 'mannered'
intertextuality in Silver Latin poetry.
During the writing of this commentary, I received a great deal of
support from my colleagues and friends. Here I want to acknowledge
at least some of my major debts of gratitude. For invaluable discussions
on many points I am greatly indebted to Professors Anton D. Leeman
and Harm Pinkster, and to Dr Daniel den Hengst. Fanny Struyk
patiently read through various versions of this work, supplied me with
useful criticism and continued to provide welcome encouragement.
My manuscript was processed on floppy disc with the utmost patience
X
STATIUS THEBAID VII
and accuracy by Dr Pia van de Wiel and Ineke Blijleven. I gladly
express my gratitude to Katja Smolenaars and Clara Klein for lavishing
their editorial skills on my text, to Luisa Collewijn, who kindly compiled
the Indexes and Bibliography, and to Lily Breeuwsma for coaching
my book through the press. Special thanks are due to Dr Christopher
Lowe for correcting my English, and at the same time saving me
from several errors by his considerable expertise in Latin. I am much
obliged to the anonymous English reader who supplied some very
useful information, which he will recognize in my commentary. I am
greatly indebted to Anita, Natascha andjohannes Smolenaars for help
and support of various kinds. Thanks are also due to the Netherlands
Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), which granted me a
subsidy for a stay at the Fondation Hardt at Vandoeuvres. Given
all this help and the invaluable support of all those left unmentioned,
all remaining imperfections and aberrations are the responsibility of
the editor alone.
Amsterdam, December 1993