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Document Details : Title: Corydon's Catalogue of Flowers, Plants and Fruits (Verg., Ecl. 2.45-55) Author(s): PARASKEVIOTIS, George C. Journal: Latomus Volume: 77 Issue: 3 Date: 2018 Pages: 694-703 DOI: 10.2143/LAT.77.3.3285383 Abstract : It has been observed that Corydon’s last country gift intended to win Alexis (Verg. Ecl. 2.45-55) constitutes a floral garland which, although it recalls the Theocritean collection, has also its roots in the Hellenistic epigrammatic tradition. Yet scholars have failed to take into account the internal structure of these lines and the way in which it mirrors the image described. This paper firstly argues that flowers, plants and fruits are progressively mentioned in the text so as to ensure that the herdsman’s words allow the reader to visualise the garland, and secondly examines the sources from which this literary technique could proceed. It is suggested that Corydon’s garland creatively brings together Theocritean and Meleagrian themes, language and form, but relies on a structural organisation that is unexpectedly analogous to that of the Homeric catalogues. |
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