Propertius A Hellenistic Poet on Love and Death [Paperback]

This book offers a detailed reading of some of the most stimulating and problematic of Propertius' elegies.This book offers a detailed reading of some of the most stimulating and problematic of Propertius elegies, offering fresh insight on the question of the poets sensuous temperament and the significance of the lovedeath relationship in his works.This book offers a detailed reading of some of the most stimulating and problematic of Propertius elegies, offering fresh insight on the question of the poets sensuous temperament and the significance of the lovedeath relationship in his works.The bond between love and death has long been recognised as a defining characteristic of the elegies of Propertius, but scholars have rarely clarified how or to what degree Propertius differed from other love poets in associating these themes. In this book, Dr Papanghelis traces the radical way in which Propertius dealt with amorous and morbid fantasies in his poems. He argues that the modes of erotic expression used in the elegies are fundamentally unconventional, to the point that the definitions of love and death are interdependent. This book offers a detailed reading of some of the most stimulating and problematic of Propertius' elegies, offering fresh insight on the question of the poet's sensuous temperament and the significance of the lovedeath relationship in his works.Preface; Abbreviations; 1. Introductory; 2. nostis puer haesit ocellis: the lessons of 1.19; 3. in amore mori: witches and lovers; 4. in amore mori: the shipwreck; 6. in amore mori: crime passionnel; 7. in amore mori: minor instances in Book 2; 8. Strange beauty: a reading of 4.7; Bibliography; Indexes.