Nature, imperialism, and the ethics of war in Flavian epic

This dissertation argues that Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica, Silius Italicus’ Punica, and Papinius Statius’ Thebaid use human encounters with nature to reflect on the morality of their poems’ central characters. Interactions and conflicts with nature occur at programmatic points in the poems, further indicating their importance for the narratives. This common thread throughout all three epics points to a deeper interest in nature and the unknown beyond the edges of the empire. As such, ecocritical theory and theories of space and place have greatly informed my approach to this topic. By examining encounters with nature such as humans crossing geographical boundaries, cutting down forests, and fighting river gods, Flavian epic is shown to comment on the military exploits of the three Flavian emperors, their interactions with nature while on campaign, and the ideology of their regime.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Classical Philology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Kozak, Adam Alexander

Contributors dc:contributor

• Augoustakis, Antony
• Bosak-Schroeder, Clara
• Walters, Brian
• Williams, Craig

• Flavian epic
• nature
• natural world
• imperialism
• ecocriticism
• Statius
• Silius Italicus
• Valerius Flaccus
• Thebaid
• Punica
• Argonautica
• forests
• rivers
• ideology
• Latin literature
• Latin epic poetry
• Vespasian
• Domitian
• Tacitus
• Agricola

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2020 Adam Alexander Kozak

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/107904

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/107904