Argo Crossing: Studies in Apollonius Rhodius' ›Argonautica‹ and Its Reception

This volume takes Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica as its focal point but does so with a view to exploring the rich afterlife it has had in other literary traditions, from Latin poetry to early modern European reception. In addition to looking at reception and the Argonautic myth beyond Apollonius, this volume also seeks to present new approaches to his Hellenistic epic and to privilege interpretations which traverse the boundaries of genre.

The product of a three-day workshop, this volume contains fresh reconsiderations of established topics in Apollonian scholarship: the characterisation of Medea, the alleged quarrel with Callimachus, the Egyptian context of his poem, but also offers interpretations based on the latest developments in the subject: the Apollonius scholia and etymological practices, intertextual readings against a diverse collection of texts such as Greek comedy and Latin elegiac poetry. A final part of the volume takes us beyond antiquity to explore the poem's receptions in early modern European literature.

This wide range of chapters provides an overview of the current state of scholarship on Apollonius' Argonautica, its reception, and on the Argonautic myth at large, and indicates future trends in these areas.