Abstract
Sannazaro’s brief epic, De partu Virginis, contains many allusions to the tragic female protagonists of Latin epic and epyllia: Ariadne in Catullus 64, Scylla in the pseudo-Virgilian Ciris, Dido in Aeneid 4, and the mother of Euryalus in Aeneid 9. This chapter explores how Sannazaro draws on this chain of interconnected female characters in his representation of Mary. His allusions to these tragic women involve both clusters and imitative series. By inverting moments of classical pathos to celebrate the virgin birth, Sannazaro engages in a happy emulation of the classical tradition. The allusions create a tension between the reader’s memories of these words and their present use, and thus highlight what Sannazaro regards as the uniqueness of Mary and the Christian story.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Imitative Series and Clusters from Classical to Early Modern Literature |
| Editors | Colin Burrow, Stephen Harrison, Martin McLaughlin, Elisabetta Tarantino |
| Place of Publication | Berlin |
| Publisher | De Gruyter |
| Pages | 173-188 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783110699593 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783110699500 |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Sept 2020 |