Statius and Ovid

This is the first in-depth exploration of the extent and significance of Ovidian intertexts in Statius' Thebaid, with particular emphasis on the interplay between poetics, politics, and material culture. Introducing New Historicist, Cultural Materialistic, and Intermedial approaches to Latin literature, it suggests that, despite their Virgilian patina, Statius' depictions of landscapes, heroes, and gods are pervaded by verbal and semantic allusions to Ovid's mythical narratives. This multi-layered allusivity not only prompts alternative readings of the Augustan classics, but also challenges the reader's perceptions of the Augustanising worldview that the urban landscape of Flavian Rome was arguably meant to convey. The poetic and political significance of Statius' Theban saga thereby moves from critically rewriting the Aeneid to reflecting on the new socio-political issues of Flavian Rome. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

• The first in depth exploration of the influence of Ovid's Metamorphoses on Statius' Thebaid, paving the way for a reassessment of the reception of Ovid in Flavian literature
• Proposes an innovative intermedial and political reading of the Thebaid, showing how the poem can influence the ways readers look at Flavian Rome
• Argues that Statius' reworking of the Augustan classics parallels and challenges the selective renegotiation of the Augustan legacy deployed by Flavian emperors to present their newly established power under the guise of a return to an idealised Augustan 'golden age'