THE MYTHIC EXEMPLUM IN ARGONAUTICA: literary selfconsciousness in the epic by Apollonius of Rhodes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18830/issn2238-362X.v6.n2.2016.05Keywords:
Argonautica, Epic, Exemplum, MythAbstract
In the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, the myth of Theseus and Ariadne is used by the main hero as an exemplum, because of its similarity to that of Jason and Medea, the main story of this work. In
this paper, we present an analysis on the function of this exemplum in the narrative technique of Argonautica as well as their metapoetic meanings. According to our reading, the combination of the technique of the exemplum ”“ an outstanding trait of epic genre already in the homeric poems ”“ and ellipsis of the tragic end of the story of Ariadne (and hence the allusion to the tragic end of Medea) creates a particularly literary effect, which brings into play in the narrative plot of the play a tension between the literary tradition and this poem. In this tension, literary self-consciousness of the work is expressed.
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