Lucan, Bellum civile

Annemarie Ambühl (Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 61 - 65

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epic
Poetry (any)

Resources

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Summary

Lucan’s Bellum civile (often quoted under the alternative title Pharsalia) on the civil war between Caesar and Pompey proved to be one of the most influential Latin epics, in spite or probably just because of its challenging style and provocative subject-matter. The biographical tradition that depicts its author as a young genius meeting a premature tragic fate, as the emperor Nero forced him to commit suicide at the age of twenty-six, helped to turn the poet and his epic legacy into legendary figures.

Lucan’s

Bellum civile

(often quoted under the alternative title

Pharsalia

) on the civil war between Caesar and Pompey proved to be one of the most influential Latin epics, in spite or probably just because of its challenging style and provocative subject-matter. The biographical…

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3837 words

Citation: Ambühl, Annemarie. "Bellum civile". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 August 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32160, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Lucan, Bellum civile

Dates

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Resources

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