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To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica?
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-210).
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Classical Studies
2015
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| _version_ | 1867613252048912384 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Williams, Hamish |
| author_browse | Williams, Hamish |
| author_facet | Williams, Hamish |
| author_sort | Williams, Hamish |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-210). |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14599 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:10.259Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Classical Studies |
| publisherStr | Classical Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14599 To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? Williams, Hamish Classical Studies Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-210). In the ensuing dissertation I explore the extent to which a coherent praeceptor persona may be found in Horace's Ars Poetica. In the first chapter, 'Interpreting the Ars Poetica', I commence by reviewing and commenting upon previous critical attempts to explain Horace's poem. This I have divided into three main sections: 'Interpretations of Incoherence', 'Interpretations of Coherence', and 'Authorial Personae'. In the first of these I explore how some critics have denied the possibility of arriving at a coherent interpretation of the poem, which they regard as an unfinished hotchpotch effort. Most notably in this section I illustrate how the Ars Poetica fails to conform to the expected form of any one particular literary genre. In the second section, 'Interpretations of Coherence', I examine attempts, particularly Brink's in his Prolegomena, to structure the poem into certain fixed aesthetic units, and I then explore some of the difficulties of utilizing such rigorous and tendentious rubrics in a flexible and free-flowing poem. Lastly, in the third section, 'Authorial Personae', I review more modern attempts to explain Horace's poem through the identification of an authorial persona within the text. I proceed to justify my preference for this interpretative method by explaining it both with reference to modern literary theory and ancient poetic and dramatic practice. Lastly, in this chapter I briefly introduce the character of the authorial persona whom I shall endeavour to locate in the Ars Poetica – the teacher or praeceptor persona. In the second chapter, 'The Praeceptor Persona in Play', I commence by trying to build a characteristically Horatian concept of the teacher figure in the Ars Poetica, in my section, 'The Horatian Concept of the Praeceptor'. To this end I turn to the Satires of Horace, particularly, 1.1, 1.4, and 1.10, where I show that the Horatian model of a praeceptor can be explained through three conceptual criteria – 'instruction ', 'demonstration', and 'play'. Applying in turn each of these three conceptual criteria to the text of the Ars Poetica I illustrate how the very language of the authorial persona of the poem fulfils these criteria. In the third chapter, 'The Teacher of Satire 1.4 ', having established the presence of a Praeceptor persona in the Ars Poetica, I turn my attention to the Satires of Horace where the most extensive critical work has been undertaken with respect to the character of the authorial persona; particularly, since it has informed my concept of the Horatian praeceptor, I examine the teacher figure of Satire 1.4. In the first section, 'Interpretations of the Teacher Persona', I examine and criticise four scholarly attempts to explain the character of the teacher figure in the sermo. I identify the mixture of instruction and humour in the language as the key critical concern of these critics. In the final section, 'The Playful Satirist' I then apply my conceptual criterion of 'play' to the discourse of the teacher of 1.4, suggesting that his humour is not incompatible with instruction, but is actually a vital constituent of his role as a praeceptor. Finally, I give a brief 'Epilogue', summarising my analysis and, more importantly, emphasising the importance of identifying a characteristically Horatian model of a praeceptor. A detailed bibliography is then given of the source material consulted and references used through the dissertation. 2015-11-02T10:54:23Z 2015-11-02T10:54:23Z 2011 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14599 eng application/pdf Classical Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Classical Studies Williams, Hamish To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| title_full | To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| title_fullStr | To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| title_full_unstemmed | To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| title_short | To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica? |
| title_sort | to what extent does horace present a coherent praeceptor persona in the ars poetica |
| topic | Classical Studies |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14599 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT williamshamish towhatextentdoeshoracepresentacoherentpræceptorpersonainthearspoetica |