Aesthetic and Ethical Criticism in Herodas' Mimiamboi
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Aesthetic and Ethical Criticism in Herodas' Mimiamboi BY Benjamin M. Slagowski Submitted to the graduate degree program in Classics and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. _______________________________ Chairperson Pamela Gordon _______________________________ Emma Scioli _______________________________ Michael Shaw Date Defended: April 22, 2013 ii The Thesis Committee for Benjamin M. Slagowski certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Aesthetic and Ethical Criticism in Herodas' Mimiamboi _______________________________ Chairperson Pamela Gordon Date approved: April 22, 2013 iii Abstract This paper examines Herodas' interest in aesthetic and ethical criticism throughout his mimiamboi. This serious concern with such elevated topics is appropriate, and perhaps even expected, given Herodas' clear effort in the eighth mimiamb to locate his new genre of poetry within the iambic tradition in general, and the Hipponactean strain of iambos in particular. Analysis of the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth mimes demonstrates a keen awareness of the poet's craft, poetic techniques, and contemporary aesthetic values. While playing the role of aesthetic critic, Herodas promotes an ideal reader of his poetry, and instructs this reader in how best to contemplate his poems. The first, third, and fifth mimes all show an interest in pronouncing statements dealing with ethical behavior and elevated philosophical concerns. As an ethical critic, Herodas does not issue clear statements establishing or promoting proper ethical conduct, but foregrounds topics of great general interest to a wide Hellenistic audience. Ultimately it shall become evident that Herodas' poetry concerns itself with the same elite, intellectual issues that proved of interest to his contemporaries. iv Acknowledgments I would like to thank Professor Pamela Gordon for the many hours she has spent reading drafts, providing valuable feedback, and offering general advice on this project and others. The writing of this paper has been a far more manageable task because of her guidance. I would also like to thank the other members of my thesis committee. Professor Emma Scioli has offered a great deal of support throughout the entire project, but I am especially appreciative of the many comments she has provided on the topics of ekphrasis and dreams. Professor Michael Shaw has offered encouragement and many constructive comments resulting in a much more polished final paper. I must also offer one final thank you to my friends and family members who have a heard a great deal more about Herodas and his mimes than they might ever have expected. v Table of Contents Introduction...........................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Herodas and the Iambic Connection to Ethical and Aesthetic Criticism .........4 1.1: Introduction................................................................................................................4 1.2: The Mimes of Herodas...............................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Aesthetic Criticism in Herodas' Mimiamboi....................................................11 2.1: Mimiamb Eight.........................................................................................................11 2.2: Dream Interpretation .............................................................................................18 2.2.1: Herodas and the Mouseion...................................................................................19 2.3: The Programmatic Significance of Mimiamb Eight...............................................23 2.4: Herodas as Hipponactean Aesthetic Critic in Mimiamb Four..............................26 2.5: Contemporary Criticism and Aesthetic Values in Mimiamb Four........................28 2.5.1: Kynno and Kokkale's Technical Vocabulary .......................................................33 2.5.2: Mimiamb Four's Interest in Verisimilitude .......................................................34 2.6: Kynno and Kokkale as Anti-Models for how to Read Herodas..............................41 2.7: Aesthetic Criticism in Mimiamb Six.......................................................................56 2.8: Conclusion...............................................................................................................60 Chapter 3: Ethical Criticism in Herodas' Mimiamboi.......................................................62 3.1: The Generic Interest of Iambos in Ethical Criticism..............................................62 3.2: Ethical Statements in Herodas................................................................................67 3.2.1: Mimiamb Three and Parent-Child Relationships...............................................68 3.2.2: Mimiamb Five and the Status of Slaves...............................................................72 3.2.3: Mimiamb One and Female Fidelity.....................................................................76 3.3: Conclusion................................................................................................................79 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................81 Works Cited.........................................................................................................................84 1 Introduction Scholarship on the trio of definitive Hellenistic authors of poetry, Callimachus, Apollonius of Rhodes, and Theocritus, inevitably must address the complexity of these poets, their learnedness, allusiveness, and self-awareness of their position as poet and the craft they practice. Their style defines what we modern scholars think of as Hellenistic poetry. It is with an understanding of the basic idea of Hellenistic poetry and the poetic voice of this era that I approached the mimes of Herodas, a relatively obscure author who probably wrote during the rule of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. As I proceeded to read the roughly 800 lines that have survived, seven mimes almost fully preserved, an eighth that is mostly preserved, and very small fragments of several more mimes, I was struck by the subtlety of his poetry. Ever present in Herodas' short scenes is a tension that begs to be explored. Low-class characters using vulgar language in scenes reminiscent of those familiar from the comic stages of both Greece and Rome were consistently touching on serious topics of great interest. With my own interest piqued, I dipped into the scholarship focused on Herodas' mimes that had been penned over the course of the last century following the discovery and publication of the mimiamboi in 1891 by F.G. Kenyon, the great British paleographer to whom we also owe the first edition of Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia. In surveying past scholarship I was struck by the tendency to focus on individual mimes and questions of performance at the expense of recognizing the subtle complexity of the mimes as a whole. It is in hopes of bringing this complexity to the forefront that I have written this paper. The primary objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that Herodas' mimes 2 consistently feature serious commentary on elevated topics that often appear at odds with his humorous characters and scenes. Pervasive throughout the mimes are statements voicing ethical and aesthetic criticism. Such statements demonstrate an interest in the poet's craft and reception of poetry, and also an awareness of moral and philosophical topics of considerable importance and relevance to his audience. The presence of these elevated concerns demands that Herodas be recognized as more than just a vulgar, comic wit. Central to my argument that Herodas gives voice to ethical and aesthetic criticism is showing that he locates himself within the iambic tradition, and that such statements are an important part of the iambic genre as a whole. I will begin by offering a brief survey of evidence showing that iambos is an appropriate genre for ethical and aesthetic criticism, and that examples of both types of criticism can be found in iambic poetry of both the Archaic and Hellenistic periods. With the connection between iambic poetry and ethical/aesthetic criticism established, I will demonstrate that Herodas firmly places himself in the iambic tradition. As evidence for this, I will examine in full the eighth mimiamb, which I will argue is a programmatic piece designed both as a response to criticism from Herodas' peers and as an appeal to the authority of his literary predecessors necessary to legitimize his new genre. Having established Herodas' connection to iambos and demonstrated the genre's interest in ethical and aesthetic criticism, I will then turn to examples of such forms of criticism throughout the mimes. One chapter will be devoted to aesthetic criticism, focusing particularly on the fourth mime. A second chapter will address ethical criticism, examples of which tend to be more obscured and fleeting when compared to statements of aesthetic criticism. These 3 two chapters together should fully demonstrate Herodas' interest in elevated topics. 4 Chapter 1: Herodas and the Iambic Connection to Ethical and Aesthetic Criticism 1.1: Introduction The archaic genre of iambos experienced a revival among Hellenistic poets and authors.1 Apollonius of Rhodes and