Nonnus from Panopolis in Egypt, who lived in the fifth century AD, composed the last great epic poetry of antiquity. The Dionysiaca, in forty-eight books, primarily deals with Dionysus's campaign against the Indians; however, the poet manages to include all the adventures of the god (as well as many other mythological elements) in a narrative that begins with chaos in the sky and ends with the deification of Ariadne's crown. The wild merriment inspired by the god is certainly reflected in the poet's style, which is baroque, outrageous, and limitless. It seems that Nonnus, in his later years, became a Christian, as in clear contrast to the Dionysiaca, a poem that openly deals with classical mythologies and reeks of a pagan worldview, there is a hexameter paraphrase of the Gospel of John attributed to him. The People's Library edition of the Dionysiaca is available in three volumes.
Manufacturer
- Publisher
- Harvard University Press
- Genre
- -
- Subtitle
- -
- Cover
- Hardcover
- Number of Pages
- 576
- Release Date
- 1/1940
- Publication Date
- -
- Dimensions
- 10.8x16.2 cm
- Language
- English
- ISBN-13
- 9780674993792
Important information
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