Critics have long remarked on the differences between the Argonautic epics of Apollonius Rhodius and Valerius Flaccus, and have
attempted to understand the latter’s reception of the former. This dissertation calls into question the narrative that Valerius rejected
Apollonius' characterization of the hero Jason as defective and sought to recuperate it. Evidence such as each poet’s treatment of his
literary predecessors, the semantics of key terms important to the genre and to the heroes themselves, and the political cultures in which
the two epics were composed, suggests that in each epic the heroic protagonist Jason is put forth as the best of his peers, the Argonauts,
and the one most suited to lead them. The differences between the two Jasons is best explained by a difference in literary trends and
political realities between the Ptolemaic Kingdom of the 3rd century BCE and the Flavian Dynasty of the late 1st century CE. Contrary to
scholarly depictions of Jason in Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica as a "failed" hero, his characterization is an evolution of Homeric
trends in a Ptolemaic Alexandrian context, including Hellenistic literary sensibilities and the ideology of kingship. Similarly, the Jason
of Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica is best understood not as a rejection of Apollonius’ creation, but as an adaptation of it in light of
post-Vergilian literary trends and the ideology of the early Flavian Dynasty, which seized power in a civil war. Therefore, both versions
of the Argonautica depict Jason in a way that speaks to their respective eras’ understanding of leadership and what constitutes "the best
man." / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Classics in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of
Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2016. / October 31, 2016. / Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, Flavian, Jason, Ptolemaic, Valerius Flaccus / Includes bibliographical references. / Francis Cairns, Professor Directing Dissertation; David Levenson, University Representative;
Trevor Luke, Committee Member; Timothy Stover, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_405681 |
| Contributors | Oliver, Kevin (authoraut), Cairns, Francis (professor directing dissertation), Levenson, David B. (university representative), Luke, Trevor (committee member), Stover, Tim (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Classics (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (197 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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