Mythological epyllia written in the form of Virgilian centos: a model case of intertextuality
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| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | The focus of the paper is on Virgilian centos, specifically on those that can be classified as mythological epyllia. These unique patchwork poems composed entirely of quotations from Virgil's works represent a major, homogenous, part of the extant ancient cento production, both in generic and thematic terms, and can therefore be studied as a specific chapter in the reception history of Virgil. First, an analysis of the intertextual structure of the centos is provided, and the characteristic types and functions of the employed quotational allusions are determined. Further, the underlying principles of mythology are shown to play an essential role in terms of the intertextual conception of the centos. Finally, it is proposed that the poems under discussion are to be identified as instances of pastiche and viewed as openly imitative addenda Vergiliana. |
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