What kind of poetry does Catullus write?
Style. Catullus wrote in many different meters including hendecasyllabic verse and elegiac couplets (common in love poetry). A great part of his poetry shows strong and occasionally wild emotions, especially in regard to Lesbia (e.g. poems 5 and 7).
How many Catullus poems are there?
For the modern reader, Catullus’s poetry amounts to the 113 or so poems that have come down to the present from the Verona manuscript (X). Modern texts are numbered 1-116, but the poems numbered 18-20 are usually excluded, since they were inserted without authority by Marc-Antoine Muret in his edition of 1554.
What is the subject matter of Catullus poems?
Catullus’s focus in his poetry is on himself, the male lover. He writes obsessively about Lesbia; however she is just an object to him. In his writing, the male lover is the important character, and Lesbia is part of his theatrical passion.
How many of Catullus poems are about Lesbia?
25
Lesbia is the subject of 25 of Catullus’ 116 surviving poems, and these display a wide range of emotions (see Catullus 85), ranging from tender love (e. g. Catullus 5, Catullus 7), to sadness and disappointment (e.g. Catullus 72), and to bitter sarcasm (e.g. Catullus 8), following the often unsteady course of Catullus’ …
Was Catullus an epicurean?
Catullus subscribed to Epicurean philosophy, and his poetry, in keeping with his Epicurean beliefs, deals rather explicitly with amorous love.
What is the meaning of Catullus?
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
What is Sapphic poetry?
Sapphics are made up of any number of four-line stanzas, and many Greek and Roman poets, including Catullus, used the form. It was introduced to Roman and European poets by Horace, who frequently used sapphics in his Odes, and later became popular as a verse form for hymns during the Middle Ages.
What group of poets did Catullus join?
Gaius Valerius Catullus was born in Verona about 84 b.c.e. and lived both there and in Rome until about 54 b.c.e. He joined the “Neoterics” in Rome — a group of young “new poets” who focused their work on personal matters instead of Roman high seriousness and favored short, elegant poetry with sophisticated allusions.
Which meter S did Catullus compose in?
Poems of Catullus
| Poem | Text | Meter |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Latin English | hendecasyllabic |
| 50 | Latin English | hendecasyllabic |
| 51 | Latin English | Sapphic stanza |
| 52 | Latin English | iambic trimeter |
What was Lesbia’s real name?
Lesbia wasn’t her real name. Her real name was Clodia. Classical scholars disagree over whether she was the Clodia married to the praetor Metellus Celer, infamous for her licentiousness and possible matricide.
Who did Catullus love?
Lesbia
54 bce, Rome), Roman poet whose expressions of love and hatred are generally considered the finest lyric poetry of ancient Rome. In 25 of his poems he speaks of his love for a woman he calls Lesbia, whose identity is uncertain.
How did Catullus poems survive?
Writings. Nearly lost forever in the Middle Ages, his work has survived thanks to a single manuscript, an anthology that may or may not have been arranged by Catullus himself.
What are some references to Catullus’s poetry?
The scattered references to Catullus’s poetry can be listed: St. Jerome, Martianus Capella, and Macrobius in the 5th century; Priscian and Boethius in the 6th century; and Isidore in the 7th century. Hildemar of Corbie appears to echo Catullus in 841 CE, and Hiericus of Auxerre quotes a phrase from Catullus in 873 CE.
Why is Catullus 5 called Lesbia?
Catullus is renowned for his love poems, particularly the 25 poems addressed to a woman named Lesbia, of which Catullus 5 is perhaps the most famous. Scholars generally believe that Lesbia was a pseudonym for Clodia Metelli and that the name Lesbia is likely an homage to Sappho, who came from the isle of Lesbos.
What does Catullus say about Caesar and mammura?
Caesar with his prodigy, Mammura (vulgarly named “Mentula” or “Dick” by Catullus), is memorably portrayed by Catullus as vicious and obscene. They are both accused of being buggered in poem 57 and in poem 29 of devouring and destroying everything. Was it on this account, O singular general,
Why is Catullus important to Latin teachers?
After his rediscovery in the Late Middle Ages, Catullus again found admirers such as Petrarca. The explicit sexual imagery which he uses in some of his poems has shocked many readers. Yet, at many instruction levels, Catullus is considered a resource for teachers of Latin.