Poet and Audience in the Argonautica of Apollonius

Book excerpt: In this innovative study of the Argonautica, Robert Albis examines structural elements of the text that recreate phenomena associated with composers and performers of epic much earlier in the Greek tradition. Such phenomena include the effect of divine inspiration on the performer, and the empathy thus created among the audience, performer, and characters of the poetry. Albis focuses on the invocations of the Argonautica, arguing that these passages reveal the poet's attempts to associate himself and the audience with the activity within the poem. Albis' approach to the Argonautica is important because it makes use of theoretical approaches to poetry while still concentrating on the place of the poet and epic poetry in contemporary Greek culture, and on the tradition the poet had inherited. This fascinating study, which includes analyses of the Homeric influence on Apollonius and Apollonius' influence on Virgil, will be of interest to scholars of ancient epic, Greek poetry, and Hellenistic Greek culture.