Author
Harvey, Elizabeth GabrielleIssue Date
2017Keywords
ancient homosexualitydeliciae
pederastic poetry
puer delicatus
Roman homosexuality
Roman pederasty
Advisor
Skinner, Marilyn B.
Metadata
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The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
This thesis examines the poetry of Catulus, Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, and Statius in an attempt to trace the development of a Roman pederastic poetics. This project aims to demonstrate how the status of the puer delicatus constitutes a point of contention for the Roman poets as they attempt to craft an elevated literature for the homoerotic amor between Roman citizen and subaltern. To legitimize an otherwise commonplace and inherently unequal configuration between citizen and slave, the poets participate in a project of assimilation that refigures the subaltern puer as a citizen youth and, in the poetry of Statius, even re-imagines the puer as a quasi-citizen within the aristocratic Roman family. To conclude, this study urges scholars to reevaluate Roman pederastic poetry as a cultural elaboration that attests to the problem that the stigma of the beloved's status posed to a standard homosexual configuration at Rome.Type
textElectronic Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.Degree Level
mastersDegree Program
Graduate CollegeClassics