Propertius: Love and War - by Hans-Peter Stahl

Book Synopsis

Propertius: 'Love' and 'War' Individual and State Under Augustus presents a nuanced exploration of the poetry of Propertius, addressing the apparent contradictions within his work and their implications for understanding the interplay between personal identity and political allegiance in Augustan Rome. Rather than accepting a simplistic trajectory from youthful love elegies to mature, state-centered poetry, this study challenges traditional views by considering the poet's recurring conflicts as indicators of a lasting internal struggle. It questions whether Propertius' work should be seen as a straightforward reflection of personal development or as a literary construction that resists such linear interpretations.

This volume not only reevaluates Propertius' literary contributions but also critiques long-standing methodological approaches to his poetry, particularly the reliance on historicist interpretations that have sought to extract autobiographical truth from his elegies. By emphasizing the structural and thematic coherence of individual poems, the study highlights the poet's ability to merge personal and political tensions within carefully crafted literary forms. With its deep engagement with textual criticism, linguistic analysis, and poetic structure, Propertius: 'Love' and 'War' offers fresh insight into the complexities of Roman elegy, making it essential reading for scholars of Latin poetry, Augustan literature, and the broader relationship between art and ideology in ancient Rome.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1985.