By introducing a multifaceted approach to epic geography, the editors of the volume wish to provide a critical assessment of spatial perception, of its repercussions on shaping narrative as well as of its discursive traits and cultural contexts. Taking the genre-specific boundaries of Greco-Roman epic poetry as a case in point, a team of international scholars examines issues that lie at the heart of modern criticism on human geography. Modern and ancient discourse on space representations revolves around the nation-shaping force of geography, the gendered dynamics of landscapes, the...

Taking their point of departure from Frederick Ahl s pioneering work, the distinguished scholars in this volume have come together to re-examine the relation of poetry and power in the context of authoritarian regimes in ancient Rome and to examine the ways that poets not only commented on imperial politics, but also were direct participants in the construction of that political reality.