Narratives in Silius Italicus’ Punica: A Narratological, Intertextual, and Intratextual Approach

ISBN-13: 9789004685826 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023 / 328 str.

Pieter Van Den Broek

Opis

This study investigates the role of embedded narratives in Silius Italicus’ Punica, an epic from the late first century AD on the Second Punic War (218–202 BC). At first sight, these narratives seem to be loosely ‘embedded’ in the epic, having their own plot and being situated in a different time or place than the main narrative. A closer look reveals, however, that they foreshadow or recall elements that are found elsewhere in the epic. In this way, they serve as ‘mirrors’ of the main narrative. The larger part of this book consists of four detailed case studies.