The Figure of the Poor Poet in Classical Poetry

Abstract

The figure of the poor poet represents a persistent and conventional topos in Greek and Roman literature. Yet this tradition, although widely acknowledged, has not been examined in a comprehensive manner from its inception in the earliest extant literature to its treatment in works from imperial Rome. Moreover, amongst the isolated attempts to understand this topos, much of the focus has been on mining the passages for biographical information, with scant attention paid to the underlying literary aspects.

This project examines the topos of the poor poet as it occurs in Greek and Roman literature. It methodically inspects appearances of the topos in a range of authors from disparate time periods and genres to determine its salient aspects. Instances of the topos are understood within the context of the individual poet's own poetic programme and are related to similar iterations in other poets. In addition, this project explores the literary subtext undergirding poetic avowals of poverty.

Ultimately, this project concludes that these seemingly disparate avowals of poverty comprise a coherent literary tradition, in which poets participate in order to communicate information beyond their economic status, such as their poetic motives and style. In addition, these expressions of poverty reveal an ongoing discussion, both with society's elites and other poets, about the position and role of poets within an ordered society. Even deviations from the expected norms reveal an understanding of and participation in the topos.