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Synopsis
The poetry of the Late Roman Republican poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, a rich document of the human heart, is the earliest-known reasonably complete body of erotic verse in the West.
Though approximately 116 poems survive, uncertainties about the condition of the fragmented manuscript and the narrative order of the poems make the Catullan text unusually problematic for the modern critic. Indeed, the poems can be arranged in a number of ways, making a multitude of different plots possible and frustrating the reader’s desire for narrative closure.
Micaela Janan contends that since unsatisfied desire structures both the experience of reading Catullus and its subject matter, critical interpretation of the text demands a "poetics of desire." Furthermore, postmodern critical theory, narratology, and psychoanalysis suggest a flexible concept of the "subject" as a site through which a multitude of social, cultural, and unconscious forces move. Human consciousness, Janan contends, is inherently incomplete and in a continuous process of transformation. She therefore proposes an original and provocative feminist reading of Catullus, a reading informed by theories of consciousness and desire as ancient as Plato and as contemporary as Freud and Lacan.
The Late Roman Republic in which Catullus lived, Janan reminds us, was a time of profound social upheaval when political and cultural institutions that had persisted for centuries were rapidly breaking down a time not unlike our own. Catullus’ poetry provides an unusually honest look at his culture and its contradictory representations of class, gender, and power. By bringing to the study of this major work of classical literature the themes of consciousness and desire dealt with in postmodern scholarship, Janan’s book invites a new conversation among literary disciplines.
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About the Author
Micaela Janan is an assistant professor of classical studies at Duke University.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherSouthern Illinois University Press
- Publication date1994
- ISBN 10 0809317656
- ISBN 13 9780809317653
- BindingHardcover
- LanguageEnglish
- Edition number1
- Number of pages224
- Rating
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"When the Lamp is Shattered": Desire and Narrative in Catullus
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Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale and Edwardsville, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. xviii, 204pp. Very good hardcover in like dust-jacket. Very minimal wear to dust-jacket. Top edge of d/j bumped at front and rear. Original owner's signature on front-free end paper. Latin and English texts. Clean, bright, and tight. Seller Inventory # 013345
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When the Lamp is Shattered: Desire and Narrative in Catullus
Published by
Southern Illinois University Press, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
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Hardcover with dust jacket. G/VG. Penciling, previous owner's name. 204 pp. Seller Inventory # 714581
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When the Lamp is Shattered
Published by
Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
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Hardcover. Octavo; VG; white spine, purple lettering; dust jacket has general shelfwear, minor edgewear, soiling on front; boards strong, minor bumping on spine edges, minor soiling on rear; text block slightly age toned; xviii, 204pp. 1294302. Full-priced Rockville. Seller Inventory # 1294302
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When the Lamp is Shattered: Desire and Narrative in Catullus
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Southern Illinois University Pre, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
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When the Lamp Is Shattered: Desire and Narrative in Catullus
Published by
Southern Illinois Univ Pr, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
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When the Lamp Is Shattered: Desire and Narrative in Catullus.
Published by
Carbondale ; Edwardsville : Southern Illinois University Press, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Fundus-Online GbR Borkert Schwarz Zerfaß, Berlin, Germany
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Condition: Sehr gut. XVIII, 203 p. From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Slightly rubbed jacket, staining on bottom edge, otherwise very good and clean. / Leicht beriebener Umschlag, Anschmutzung auf Fußschnitt, sonst sehr gut und sauber. - The poetry of the Late Roman Republican poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, a rich document of the human heart, is the earliest-known reasonably complete body of erotic verse in the West. Though approximately 116 poems survive, uncertainties about the condition of the fragmented manuscript and the narrative order of the poems make the Catullan text unusually problematic for the modern critic. Indeed, the poems can be arranged in a number of ways, making a multitude of different plots possible and frustrating the reader's desire for narrative closure. Micaela Janan contends that since unsatisfied desire structures both the experience of reading Catullus as well as its subject matter, critical interpretation of the text demands a "poetics of desire." She proposes an original and provocative feminist reading of Catullus, a reading informed by theories of consciousness as ancient as Plato and as contemporary as Freud and Lacan. Janan holds that traditional text theory achieves interpretive closure by idealizing a self-aware, autonomous, and concrete textual "persona." In such a view, even the most unexpected or bizarre conduct ought to be explainable in terms of this presumably stable core of consciousness. Thus the extraordinary variations in Catullus' sexualityincluding apparent shifts of gender identityhave led critics who seek a personality type that would account for the poet's behavior to speculate about his "bisexuality" or "effeminacy." Postmodern critical theory, narratology, and psychoanalysis, however, suggest a more flexible concept of the "subject" as a site through which a multitude of social, cultural, and unconscious forces move. Human consciousness, Janan contends, is inherently incomplete and in a continuous process of transformation. She argues that Catullus' gender transitions should be understood less as evidence of a conflicted sexuality than as a radical, poetic interrogation of the social construction of gender itself. The Late Roman Republic in which Catullus lived, Janan reminds us, was a time of profound social upheaval when political and cultural institutions that had persisted for centuries were rapidly breaking down a time not unlike our own. Catullus' poetry provides an unusually honest look at his culture and its contradictory representations of class, gender, and power. By bringing to the study of this major work of classical literature the themes of consciousness and desire dealt with in postmodern scholarship, Janan's book invites a new conversation among literary disciplines. - Micaela Janan is an assistant professor of classical studies at Duke University, where she teaches classical and comparative literature and literary theory. ISBN 0809317656 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 550 Original cloth with dust jacket in additional plastic. Seller Inventory # 2537
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When the Lamp Is Shattered : Desire and Narrative in Catullus
Published by
Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Barnaby, Oxford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust jacket is fully intact, only lightly rubbed at edges. All pages free from notes or highlighting. In good order overall.Publisher's note: "The poetry of the Late Roman Republican poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, a rich document of the human heart, is the earliest-known reasonably complete body of erotic verse in the West." "Though approximately 116 poems survive, uncertainties about the condition of the fragmented manuscript and the narrative order of the poems make the Catullan text unusually problematic for the modern critic. Indeed, the poems can be arranged in a number of ways, making a multitude of different plots possible and frustrating the reader's desire for narrative closure." "Micaela Janan contends that since unsatisfied desire structures both the experience of reading Catullus as well as its subject matter, critical interpretation of the text demands a "poetics of desire." She proposes an original and provocative feminist reading of Catullus, a reading informed by theories of consciousness as ancient as Plato and as contemporary as Freud and Lacan." "Janan holds that traditional text theory achieves interpretive closure by idealizing a self-aware, autonomous, and concrete textual "persona." In such a view, even the most unexpected or bizarre conduct ought to be explainable in terms of this presumably stable core of consciousness. Thus the extraordinary variations in Catullus' sexuality - including apparent shifts of gender identity - have led critics who seek a personality type that would account for the poet's behavior to speculate about his "bisexuality" or "effeminacy." "Postmodern critical theory, narratology, and psychoanalysis, however, suggest a more flexible concept of the "subject" as a site through which a multitude of social, cultural, and unconscious forces move. Human consciousness, Janan contends, is inherently incomplete and in a continuous process of transformation. She argues that Catullus' gender transitions should be understood less as evidence of a conflicted sexuality than as a radical, poetic interrogation of the social construction of gender itself." Size: 24.1 x 15.9 x 2.4 cm. 204 pp. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Literature & Literary; Love poetry, Latin; Narration (Rhetoric); Psychoanalysis and literature; Rhetoric, Ancient; Desire in literature; Rome (Empire); ISBN: 0809317656. ISBN/EAN: 9780809317653. Add. Inventory No: 231101HAD2-4110. Seller Inventory # 231101HAD2-4110
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When the Lamp is Shattered: Desire and Narrative in Catullus
Published by
Southern Illinois University Press, 1994
ISBN 10: 0809317656
ISBN 13: 9780809317653
Used
Hardcover
Seller: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, SD, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Seller Inventory # Abebooks209669
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