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Catullus and Formatted: Normal, None, Space Before: 0 pt, Line


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EpicureanismCatullus
and Roman
Abstract: Commented [LEW1]: cut like 100 words

Epicureanism Formatted: Font color: Auto

Catullus: A Failed Epicurean? Formatted: Normal


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Leah Wild Formatted: Normal


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Catullus and Roman Epicureanism

Introduction Formatted: Underline, Font color: Auto

Main points:

Can we consider Catullus Epicurean? Complex question


It will be discussed with reference to contemporary Epicurean politics, as well as some earlier
philosophy, straight from Epicurus mouth
If we can reliably consider Catullus to have had knowledge of Epicureanism and to have
strivend, in some manner, to follow them, we can judge his competence at this goal
We can then consider how far exactly Catullus is a failed Epicurean
Catullus is is easily often usedseen as the model of a failed Epicurean: he practises a kind of pseudo-
carpe diem Epicureanism which is routinely denounced by those we would consider proper,
contemporaneous Epicurean spokesmen (Lucretius/ Torquatus). However, is it right to call him a
failed Epicurean? If it was not something he was striving to achieve, calling him a failure would
be nonsensical. Throughout this essay I will be looking to suggest that Catullus actually knew of and
engaged with contemporary Roman Epicureanism which was something which was popular
amountsamongst member s of the Roman aristocracy, and would have been well known. For a poet as
biting about the climate of his day as Catullus, it would be hard to imagine that this well-educated
man being unfamiliar with popular philosophical movements. Furthermore, it is possible to see his
reflection and engagement with this ideologyve? in his poetry. To a certain extent, Catullus seems to
view himself and his relationships through an Epicurean mode, despite his oftentimesfrequent failure
to live up to the ideals which it holds most dear. The quantification of pleasure is easy to find in Commented [CC2]: measuring? quantification?
Catullus, who lives a life of otium or leisure. However, he seems less bound to the Epicurean Formatted: Font color: Auto
conclusion: the best pleasure is to be in a state of ataraxia and aponia: freedom from pain and from
Commented [CC3]: ataraxia = freedom from
disturbance1. Conversely, Catullus repeatedly engages in many things which Epicurean philosophy disturbance; aponia = freedom from pain
and Lucretius specifically says will bring him pain: things like the commitment to romantic love.
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However, this commitment is explored by other Epicureans like Philodemuos, who, while not Roman,
were patronised by the Roman, Piso, and operated within a Roman context, despite writing and Formatted: Font color: Auto
teaching in Greek. Catullus explores the root of the pains that his desires causes him, and depending Formatted: Font: Italic, Font color: Auto
on how one perceives the ordering of the Catullian corpus, learns from his mistakes and act on this. Formatted: Font color: Auto

and indeed viewed himself and his relationships through an Epicurean mode, which lead to him Formatted: Font color: Auto
identifying his own problems with conceptualising his relationships and possibly even then acting on
this in a manner conforming to an Epicurean rationale.

Did Catullus and Lucretius know of each other, either personally or through poetic renown? is a far
more complicated question than one would wish it to be. While it is certainly plausible, and their
works evidence mutual friends as well as similarities in phrasing, which makes it likely, uncertainly
over the dates when the writers lived makes it impossible to say for certain. Methods of dating Formatted: Font: Do not check spelling or grammar
Catullus are characterised by what can be dated from references in poems, which fall around 57- Formatted: Font: 8 pt, Font color: Auto
55BC, which puts it at around the same time as the conventional date for the publication of the De
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Rerum Natura2. Furthermore, we know that Catullus was an occasional poet, and would have read his
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1
(A.A. Long, I987)
2
(Gale, 2007) pg.8 Formatted: Font: 8 pt, Font color: Auto

1
poetry aloud at literary gatherings3, so it is not impossible that contemporaneous poets would have
been exposed to his Neot-Teric stylings. It is more unlikely that Catullus read any of Lucretius work,
as De Rerum Natura (DRN) was published posthumously and never finished. Sandbach4 however
makes an argument for the notion that some of Lucretius works may have been available in
circulation before his death, and their final publication thereafter. He argues that when Cicero speaks
of Lucretiuss poemata 5, :When Cicero speak of the poemata, He is not necessarily speaking of
DRN as we know it, but may instead be referring to specific extracts, which would have been
passeds around poetic circles pre-prior to the publication. Indeed, the exact meaning of the phrase is
up for debate: it might be translated as the poetry of Lucretius or the passages of Lucretius.6 If
this is true, and before his death, verses of Lucretius were available to Catullus, it allows us to
entertain the notion that Catullus was influenced by Lucretius. If however, there was no interaction
between Lucretius and Catullus, two poets writing in similar contexts having read similar
philosophers can still fruitfully reference each other on an intertextual level, rather than necessarily
being deliberately allusionding to each other. But if, as Sandbach suggests, there is no reason why
one or more passages of DRN should not have been handed round in literary circles before
Lucretius' death 7, we can perhaps be more certain still that the links we see between the texts are not
wholly the product of speculation. This argument is further backed up by the evidence from the poems
themselves: the two potentially refer to mutual friends, increasing their chances of contact. Indeed, if
they move in similar literary and philosophical circles, theyeithereach may have even attended
reading of the others works. The figure of Memmius appears in the both works. In Catullus 10, when
he speaks of his poverty, he puts it down to an esset irrumator praetor (Cat.10.12-13) for whom Commented [CC4]: rewrite?
Catullus had been a member of staff for in Bithynia. Gaius Memmius had been governor of Bithynia Commented [CC5]: OK, good, but can you relate this in
in 57 BC. With our datable references in Catullus spanning this, it is not unfair to assume that the any way to Lucr. being a philosopher and Cat. (perhaps) not?
praetor whom Catullus is referring to is this Memmius. Moreover in Poem 28 Catullus actually names Formatted: Font: Highlight
Memmi (Cat.28.9) again dwelling on how he followed this man for little (financial) reward. That Formatted: Font color: Auto, Highlight
self-same Memmius is Lucretius Memmiadae nostro (Luc.1.26), to whom Lucretius dedicated
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DRN. This is what scholars postulate: there is no way to be sure that the two men are referring to the
same Memmius. Formatted: Normal
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The opening poems provide points of comparison and encapsulate the contrasting oeuvre of these two
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very different poets. Lucretius seems to regard his poem as therapy, mellis dulci (Luc.1.937) to help
the bitter medicine of philosophy go down, dedicated to Memmius, a key figure in the lives of both of Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
the poets. He does so with the greatest reverence, and constantly refers back to him throughout the Formatted: No Spacing
first three books (although this tails off). In contrast, Catullus opening poem is irreverent and self-
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depricating. When he dedicates the poem to Corneli(Cat.1.3), whom we assume to be the historian
Cornelius Nepos, he does so in a mocking manner. He calls his book libellum (Cat.1.1) a little Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Italic
book, the diminutive indicative of the lighter subject matter, perhaps due to Catullus regarding his
poems as art, not philosophy. Furthermore, his choice of dedication is surprising. For a love-poet who Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Italic, Font color: Auto
writes nugas (Cat.1.4) to dedicate their book to a historian jars with the genre and has the air of the
tongue-in-cheek: like the notion of a rapper dedicating his song to Mozart, the tone seems Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
disingenuous. The difference of introductory poems acts as a microcosmic view of the differing Italic
approaches towards Roman Epicureanism in poetry, where Lucretius views himself as a poetic- Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
philosopher, and Catullus is a philosophical poet. Italic, Font color: Auto

:s Particularly of interest to us is the possibility that Catullus and Lucretius were both acquainted Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Italic
with Philodemos of Gadara, the noted Epicurean philosopher and epigrammatist. Friedrich identifies
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3
Wiseman disputes this, claiming that nowhere does Catullus claim to read aloud (Wiseman, 1982, pg. 38), we know that that would have
been standard practice in the late Republic: contemporaries like Philodemos poetry are cited as being lecta et audita in Cicero, Piso 29.71 Formatted: No Spacing
4
(Sandbach, 1940) pg.76
5
Ad Quintum Fratrem (54) 2.9.3 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
6
(Sandbach, June 1940,)
7
(Sandbach, 1940) pg.76 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt

2
the Socration of Catullus Poem 47 with Philodemuos8. This is based onff the fact that we know Commented [CC6]: Or each others poetry? or
that Philodemuos, like Fabullus and Veranius, accompanied Piso to Macedonia. Furthermore, the reputation?
Theres an issue about where each worked. Some have
name Socration is not a real name at all, and is likely a diminutive of Socrates9. We have already located L. in Campania.
seen from his introductory poem Catullus fondness for diminutives, and what better nickname for a What if anything is known of literary circles at this date?
philosopher than Little Socrates. While we are not compelled to do so, we are free to imagine, Probably not much compared with Maecenas circle.L
Easier for individual poems of Cat. to be in circulation than
without insisting on it, that Catullus and Philodemos were acquainted with one another10 . To do so excerpts from DRN?
allows profitable analysis, and so long as it is not taken too far, benefits our understanding by
Commented [CC7]: Gale?
allowing personalised levels of contemporaneous philosophical and poetic comparison. Philodemos
Commented [LEW8]: Opening para:
lived synchronically towith Lucretius and Catullus, outliving both, and therefore offers an interesting
We cant go v para, but this is an Epicurean climate
point of contrast as both a poet, and philosopher of the Epicurean persuasion. Indeed, Giuffrida
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suggests that Catullus was personally acquainted with Philodemos and profoundly influenced by
Lucretius.11Section 1: Did Catullus and Lucretius know each other? Commented [CC9]: hinting? (infer = draw a
conclusion)
Did Catullus and Lucretius know each other is a far more complicated question than one would wish Formatted: Font color: Auto
it to be. While it is certainly plausible, and the evidence in their works of knowledge of overlapping
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individuals, concepts and phrases makes it likely, uncertainly over the dates when the two writers
lived makes it impossible to say for certain. Methods of dating Catullus tends to be defined by what Formatted: Font color: Auto
can be clearly identified and dated from references in his poems, which tend to fall around 57-55 BC, Commented [CC10]: It was a large family. I think your
which, as Gales notes puts it at around the same time as the conventional date for the publication of case is good enough without adding this.
the De Rerum Natura12. Formatted: Font color: Auto
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[write-up solid examples/ sources]
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This argument is further backed up by the evidence from the poems themselves: the two men may be Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
referring to mutual friends within the poems, thus increasing their chances of having heard of each
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other. Indeed, if they move in similar literary and philosophical circles, they may have even attended
reading of the others works. Formatted: Font: 8 pt, Font color: Auto
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[piso]
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Write up
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[memmius]
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The figure of Memmius appears in the works of both of the men. In Catullus 10, when he speaks of Font color: Auto
his discovery, he puts it down to an esset irrumator praetor13 for whom Catullus had been a
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member of staff for in Bithynia. Gaius Memmius had been praetor in 58 BC and governor of Bithynia Font color: Auto
in 57 BC. With our datable references in Catullus spanning this, it is not unfair to assume that the
praetor whom Catullus is referring to is this Memmius. It helps too that in Poem 28, instead of Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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merely inferring, Catullus actually names Memmi14, again with Catullus dwelling on how he
followed this man for very little (financial) reward. That self-same Memmius is Lucretius patron, the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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one to whom Lucretius dedicated De Rerum Natura. Memmiadae nostro15. At least, this is what
scholars postulate: there is of course no way to be sure that the two men are referring to the same Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Memmius. However, it seems unlikely that there were two poetically connected Memmiius who Font color: Auto
lived at exactly contemporaneous times. Therefore, it remains plausible to postulate Catullus and Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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8
Friedrich (1908) 228. Font color: Auto
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(Sider, 1997) pg.8
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(Sider, 1997) pg.24 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
11
Giuffrida, 1950, quoted in: Leon, 1960, pg.144
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(Gale, 2007)
13
Catullus 10, lines 12-13
14
Catullus 28, line 9
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15
Lucretius DRN, Book 1, line 26 Font color: Auto

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Lucretius being mutually aware, and if not Lucretius, then particularly Catullus, whos works beards
Commented [CC11]: Yes: would like to know its point!
more of the hallmarks of homage than Lucretius does (revise sentence).
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Have you tried comparing Cats dedication in c.1 with Lucrs dedication to Memmius? Formatted: Font color: Auto
Commented [CC12]: indeed, epigrammatist.
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[Philo}
Commented [CC13]: and taught
Particularly of interest to us is the concept that Lucretius and Catullus were both acquainted with
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Philodemus of Gadara, the noted Epicurean philosopher and also poet. Scholars have claimed that the
Socration, or Little Socrates of Poem 47 is indeed this Philodemus. Philodemus lived Commented [LEW14]: Lest relevant and rewarding

contemporaneously to both Lucretius and Catullus, and therefore offers an interesting point of Formatted: Normal
contrast as both a poet and a philosopher of the Epicurean persuasion (although he wrote in Greek and Formatted: Font color: Auto
not in Latin). Indeed, Giuffrida16 suggests that Catullus was personally acquainted with Philodemus Formatted: Font color: Auto
and profoundly influenced by Lucretius17
Commented [CC15]: Wrong verb? Its a atttribution.
Section 2: Can an Epicurean ever write poetry? Formatted: Font color: Auto
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Desire Formatted: Font color: Auto
Romantic love and erotic desire are both profoundly un-Epicurean, due to the fleeting nature of both.
As Nussbaum points out, it is relatively easy to accept the conclusion that in living a life with deep Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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attachments one runs a risk of loss and suffering18. Therefore Catullus engagement with this desire
isn an excellent means for examining him through a Epicurean framework. Erotic desire is often Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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conceptualised as one of the Epicurean empty desires, which are unnatural and lead only to pain and
are therefore wrong, because of their separation from the moral good of pleasure. This is because lust, Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
by its very nature, it can never be sated. It is not an emotion of the present tense, nor can it be one Font color: Auto
which one can look back on with fondness. The passions displace ones happiness away from the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
present to some uncertain future and force us to think wrongly 19, as Tsouna puts it. Lucretius is Font color: Auto
particularly damning of lust as being antithetical to an Epicurean value system. He dedicates a large Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
chunk of Book 4 to a diatribe against erotic love. He states that iolno sooner than erotic desire is Font color: Auto
quenched, it returns again (Luc.4.1115-1118). Therefore lust, while having all the characteristic pain
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of a need, does not have the capability to be satisfied, and can thus never bring one the true pleasure, Font color: Auto
the absence of pain. Lust does not concern the present and cannot be satisfied in the present; in truth
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[it] cannot be satisfied at all 20. Therefore lust simply is un-Epicurean.
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Erotic desire and lust are however key components of Catullus poetry. He seems to revel in these
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impermanent pleasures, even though eventually we see that they bring him vast amounts of pain,
which Catullus seems to recognise. Poem 85 addresses this idea in a particularly concise manner. The Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
opening sentence odi et amo, I hate and I love, is one of the most famous in the Catullian corpus. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Love and hatred are paired together, and not only this but they elide, the vowels and thus the meaning Font color: Auto
of the words bleeding into one another. Elision is also a technique employed by Lucretius, who uses it Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
to great effect when describing concepts that are physically eliding, such as in ubi equi atque Font color: Auto
hominis casu convenit imago (Luc.4.741), when he describes how the simalcrum of the imago of a Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
horse and a man combined to give us the idea of a centaur. Lucretius elides his words to mirror the
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combination of ideas21.This is such an important aspect that Uzzi and Thomson when translating it,
named it Odetamo, bringing phrase into a singular conglomerate word to express the inextricably Formatted ...
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16
Catullus is P. Giuffrida, L' epicur- eismo nella letteratura latina nel I sec. av. Cris- to: Vol. II. Lucrezio e Catullo (Turin 1950). Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
17
(Leon, 1960, Jan)
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(Nussbaum, 1994) pg.9 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
19
(Tsouna, 2007) pg.82
20
(Tsouna, 2009) pg.82 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
21
Further examples can be found in Luc.1.337: officere atque obstare, id in omni temporte adesset, where Lucreatius dis describing how
things would all merge into one is the void were not present, and as he does so, has his words merge into one. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt

4
entwined nature of love and hate22. The couplet is bookended by the words odi and excrucior; surely
Commented [CC16]: There are parallels for this in
from this we can glean that Catullus does not have a wholly positive view towards love. This theme of Lucr. (I can point you to some), although not re the
love and hate is as old as love poetry, but is interestingly found in the works of a contemporary emotions.
Epicurean, Philodemos, a fact that is often overlooked by Catullian scholarship. Furthermore, it is Formatted: Font color: Auto, Highlight
coupled by Philodemos with the sentiment of the cause is unknown and the feelings overwhelm23, a
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characteristically Epicurean observation. Sider postulates that Catullus Poem 85 may have been a
distillation of Philodemos Epigram 1, due echoing of (Philo.1.4.). However, with all of Formatted: Font color: Auto, Highlight
this self-aware pain, one could be forgiven for wondering why Catullus does not simply give up the Commented [CC17]: check
ghost, as it were. Catullus asks this question: quare id faciam, fortasses requires (Cat.85.1). But in Commented [CC18]: If you mean this sounds like odi
reply, all he can say is nescio (Cat.85.2): Catullus does not know why he continues with something et amo, make the point clearer.
which only brings pain. He only knows that he is the recipient of pain. <??> econtemporaryu <by Formatted: Highlight
him>?Catullus Philodemus The reason that this erotic desire brings us misero is not only that it is Formatted: Font color: Auto, Highlight
insatiable but also because it rests on false ideals. According to Epicurean thinking, the greatest
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causes of pain is false beliefs about de rerum narura. These false beliefs lead us to experience pain
when our experience does not match theseour expectations. This is why Lucretius writes his epic Formatted: No Spacing
poem; so that the darkness of our ignorance about the nature of things(as described e.g. in his third Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
proem?) can be driven away not by the sun, sed naturae species ratioque (Luc.3.91-93). The lover Do not check spelling or grammar
however, willingly entertains false beliefs, which are two-fold: they believe lovers vows to be true, Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
and they believe their lover to be like a god24. (ref.?)The vows between Catullus and Lesbia are an
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admission on the part of Catullus that the transitive nature of love brings with it pain. Catullus, in
Poem 70, expresses joy that nulli. mulier mea nubere malle (Cat.70.1). However, the third line Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
begins dicit: sed: the juxtaposition reveals that the first couplet of this poem is about to be turned on Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
its head at this crucial juncture. For while his mulier says these things, Catullus, in the second half of
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the poem, recognises that lovers vows scribere oportet aqua (Cat.70.4). This is a trope found in
Hellenistic poetry, illustrating how one can never trust vows exchanged between lovers, the ever Formatted: No Spacing
changing nature of the materials on which these vows ought to be written a common metaphor. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
However Catullus does not listen. As a poet, he has written his lovers vows, not on aqua, but on Font color: Auto
tablets and papyri. His oportet brings to our attention the contrary-to-fact implication 25 which is, Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
that he as a poet, tries to make permanent that which is fleeting. In the poem, modes of Font color: Auto
communication are emphasised, the word dicit appearing thrice, alongside other communication Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
words such as scribere and petat. Konstan argues that this represents Catullus own tragic
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ignorance, which imagined an eternal bond where there was only evanescent passion 26. This Font color: Auto
acknowledgement of the impermanence of lovers vows recurs in Poem 72, which explicitly
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references Poem 70, where the vow has been broken, and the lovers former ideas of his love are
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shattered27: nunc te cognoui (Cat.72.5). The speaker recognises that the impermanent vow which he
took as permaneeant has been reneged on, and that he is wounded by love. It was the lovers failure to Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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recognise the Epicurean insights on the unsustainability of romantic love, which leads to his state of
distress by the end of the poem. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
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Lucretius suggests that when one isyou are sick with love, oneyou can cure youroneself by seeing Font color: Auto
the object of your affection as they truly are (Luc.4.1151-1152): seeing their flaws as flaws and not
relabelling them into positives. By doing this one avoids the mental disturbance brought about by Formatted: Font color: Auto
false belief28. Catullus, it can be argued, follows this advice to the letter: he , and takes his previous Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
avowed praise of Lesbia and turns it to scorn far harsher than anything Lucretius comes up with. Far Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
from being Catullus meam puellam, Lesbia is a hated whore29. Catullus rejects her, and in Poem 8, Font color: Auto

22
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(Diddle & Thomson, 2015)(Diddle Uzzi, 2015) pg.18
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(Sider, 1997) pg.64 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
24
(Nussbaum, 1994) pg.142
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(Konstan, 1973) pg.106 Formatted ...
26
(Konstan, 1973) pg.103
27
nec prae me uelle tenere Iouem 72// nubere malle quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat 70 Formatted ...
28
(A.A. Long, I987)
29
See: Cat 58 Formatted ...

5
exhorts himself to stop pining for her and obstinata mente perfer, obdura (Cat.8.10). There is also a
note of resolve to stick to decisions derived from Epicurean reasoning. The poem opens with Catullus
callingdescribing himself as ineptire (Cat.8.1) and commanding himself to quod vides perisse
perditum ducas (Cat.8.2). Catullus is guilty of ineptire because he has not lived his life in an
Epicurean manner: now that his relationship has died, there is no use pining over it. It has ceased to
be, so there ought to be no feelings of loss. In Poem 8, Catullus implicitly admits his status as a failed
Epicurean. He attempts to live up to the standards set for him, and knows logically that he ought to
follow them, but finds it difficult to do so. Now however, he resolves to obdura, and not give in to
worldly desires again30. This kind of correction of the un-Epicurean self is not uncommon in the
poetry of Epicureans at the time. Philodemuos too, in his love epigrams, similarly corrects himself,
though via somewhat different means. Catullus criticises himself as himself, urging himself to be
strong. Philodemuos however constructs additional characters, and has them do the correcting for
him. While this is not the case for any of his surviving love poetry, Epigrams 3 and 29, on the subject
of death, feature a character who berates another for their un-Epicurean views. In Epigram 3, the
speaker of the poem laments his fear of death and asks Xantho to play him a sad song to match his
mood. Xantho does, but sings to highlight the absurdity of this fear. Epicureans believe that we ought
not to fear death: for we cease to be, and thus have nothing to fear. The singer expresses that all your
maudlin posturing is for nothing,31 as Sider puts it, for death is the end. Xantho corrects our speaker,
and puts them back onto the Epicurean path. u toouThis pattern of the good Epicurean correcting the Commented [CC19]: Was this really such a novel idea
failed Epicurean may be one of which Catullus is conscious, emulates in his work, writing his poems in the Greco-Roman poetic tradition? (It feels as if youre
making too much of what starts out as a helpful comparison.
in a pre-existing philosophical framework for self-reflection and correction. Philodemos writes on the Maybe tone down slightly?)
topic of , that is, frank criticism. He claims that it is the duty of a good Epicurean to speak
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frankly, for if you withhold nothing, you will save a man who is a friend32. In his epigrams,
Philodemos seems to put this into practise, as we also see in Epigram 29, which refers back to
Epigram 3, the speaker, this time explicitly Philodemos, expresses their sadness towards the death of a
friend. Sosylos, his friend, chides him, and reminds him of the ideals that they follow, as well as how
they ought to react to death (as Epicureans): yesterday they were alive, and today they are dead, and
that we should enjoy today and its simple pleasures because tomorrow we too may be dead
(Philo.29.7-8). From the confessional practises in Philodemos, it is only a short leap to Catullus, with
his more personalised poetry, writing self-criticism by the self, rather than between two separate
characters. Catullus may have been aware of this Epicurean practise, of confessing ones
shortcomings in such a manner that they can be corrected, in order to allow one to move on.
Our wanting of love, however, does not seem to be wrong in and of itself. What turns this desire for
intercourse, harmless in itself, into dangerous agonising eros? The answer seems to be false belief33.
This seems to be true, as the existence of love and desire for love is championed in other contexts.
Ciceros Epicurean spokesman Torquatus states all that has been said about the essential connection
of the virtues with pleasure must be repeated about friendship (Cic.de.Fin.1.68). Essentially
friendship is not intrinsically good, but it is treated as good because it is so conductive to pleasure.
Moreover, even Lucretius argues that it is possible and indeed proper for one to love theirones
spouse. Why then are these desires and relationships built around mutual pleasures allowed, but erotic
desires and relationships condemned? It is due to the instability of lust. Therefore, marriage becomes
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an acceptable situation to experience erotic love in, because it is stable. You two are legally bound,
and will be until death: there can be no greater certainty in the endurance of a human relationship. Formatted: No Spacing
Marriage then seems to be the ultimate expression of Epicurean <heterosexual >? love and indeed the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
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30
The chaotic ordering of the Catullian corpus makes it difficult to track philosophical journey. It is thought that the first 60 polymetric
poems may have been ordered by the man himself. But the later ones show no such order, and indeed, Poem 64, a poem found listen in the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
middle of his corpus is the most likely candidate for being the final poem he ever wrote. Therefore, when we read the poems, chronological
sense tells us that Poem 8 was written before Poem 51, however, this seems unlikely. Butterfield postulates that Poem 11 is actually the last Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
of the Lesbia poems, a bitter renouncement of Lesbians love, as Catullus bids her nec meum respectet ut ante amorem (Cat.11.21)
31
(Sider, 1997) pg.68 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt
32
Philodemos, On Frank Criticism, Fr.43.12-14. Trans: Konstan, D. pg.56
33
(Nussbaum, 1994) pg.153 Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt

6
only context where desire can be fulfilled in a manner similar to that of friendship. Lust after a lover
does not fall into these categories and can be condemned as un-Epicurean. Catullus gets around this
problem in an interesting manner. Marriage to Lesbia is not open to him, due to the fact that she is
already married to someone else. He therefore seeks to compare his relationship to friendship in a
different way: by subverting the expression of this private relationship between a man and a woman
and expressing it through the language of the public, masculine language of the Roman elite. Poem 87
in particular uses the language of Roman negotiuom to describe the relationship, which, ironically, in
many ways encapsulates Catullus own otium. By this we mean Catullus is famously a man of leisure
whose decision to notnot to participate inion the path of a typical Roman aristocracy marks him out as
an aberration. His life of otium makes him an outsider, and is what ultimately gives him the time to
dedicate to his love poetry and his relationship with Lesbia. This failed masculinity is addressed by Commented [CC20]: ?
Catullus subversive use of the normative language of the Roman elite. In Poem 87, he uses terms like Formatted: Font color: Auto
fides and foedere (Cat.87.3), terms which are resonant of law-courts and belong to the realm of
negotium. Negotium. Catullus application of these words, which rely on the notions of loyalty and
networking that elite males use to progress through the Roman system, to a romantic relationship with
a woman can be seen as an attempt at self-justification. By using language which elevates the status of
the relationship from one of mere heterosexual romance to be on the same level as the serious fides Commented [CC21]: ?
between men, Catullus legitimises his relationship. It is made more than simply two foolish lovers, Formatted: Font color: Auto
but is now a public endeavour, held by the same standards as public endeavours. No longer is Lesbia
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an object of? mere amicitia, but a partner who is bonded, and the phrase amata mea est (Cat.87.2)
stops being merely an empty lovers vow, written in the air and water, butand becomes a contract, a Formatted: Font: Italic, Font color: Auto
foedus written on paper and given a sense of permanence. Formatted: Font color: Auto
Commented [CC22]: my beloved?
Section 3: Parody of love Formatted: Font color: Auto
We have already discussed the strengths and the limits of reading Catullus and Lucretius
intertextually: while there are obvious benefits to understanding the two as living in close enough
quarters to be influences on each other, it can be nearly possible to distinguish who is parodying who,
or is if the two simply share stylistic sources. However in the case of the parodying of love and the
lover, we can greatly benefit from an intertextual reading of both Catullus and Lucretius works.

On the impermanence of love and its Epicurean implications:


Romantic love and desire is profoundly un-Epicurean. This is because of the fleeting nature of desire.
ubi se erupit nervis conlecta cupido, parva fit ardoris voioilenti pausa parumper. Inde redit rabies
eadem et furor ille revisit34 (when the gathered desire has been all exhausted, there is a short pause
for a while in the furious burning. Then the same frenzy returns, and once more the madness comes).
No sooner is ones desire for ones lover it satisfied than it returns again, thus proving it to be an empty
desire. The insatiable madness of love is incompatible with Epicurean doctrine. The reason for this is
that romantic love is conflated with lust, an emotion that can never be fulfilled. the passions displace Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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ones happiness away from the present to some uncertain future and force us to think wrongly 35, as -
--- claims. Lust is not an emotion of the present tense, nor can it be one which one can look back on Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
with fondness when one has aged. Therefore, the emotion of lust, while having all the characteristic Font color: Auto
pain of a need, does not have the capability to be satisfied, and can thus never bring one the true Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
pleasure of the absence of pain. Lust does not concern the present and cannot be satisfied in the Font color: Auto
present; in truth [it] cannot be satisfied at all36. Therefore lust simply is un-Epicurean. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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34
Lucretius, Book 4, lines 1115-1118
35
Epicurean therapeutic strategies
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36
Epicurean therapeutic strategies Font color: Auto

7
Catullus acknowledges the impermanence of love Commented [LEW23]: Agree
The vows between Catullus and Lesbia are an admittance admission on the part of Catullus that the Commented [CC24]: omit?
transitive nature of love brings with it pain. Catullus, in Poem 70, expresses joy that nulli. mulier Formatted: Font color: Auto
mea nubere malle (my woman would rather marry nobody else)37. However, the third line begins
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dicit: sed: the juxtaposition of dicit, meaning to say, immediately followed by sed reveals that
the first couplet of this poem is about to be turned on its head at this crucial half-way juncture. For Commented [CC25]: (esp. as hes added it to the
Sappho text?)
while his mulier says these things, Catullus, in the second half of the poem recognises that lovers
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vows scribere oportet aqua38 (ought to be written on water). This is a trope found in much
Hellenistic poetry, illustrating how one can never trust the vows exchanged between lovers, and the Commented [CC26]: It may also be relevant that a
genuine Epicurean good life is godlike.
ever changing and indeed rapida nature of the materials on which these vows ought to be written is
a common metaphor. However, despite the oportet Catullus does not listen. As a poet, he has Formatted: Font color: Auto
written his lovers vows, not on aqua, but indeed, he has committed them to tablets and papyri. His Formatted: Font color: Auto
oportet brings to our attention the contrary-to-fact implication 39 that is, that he, as a poet, tries to Formatted: Font color: Auto
make permanent that which is fleeting. The mere fact that in the poem, modes of communication are
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emphasised, the word dicit appearing thrice, alongside other communication words such as
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scribere and petat. Konstan argues that this represents Catullus own tragic ignorance, which
imagined an eternal bond where there was only evanescent passion 40. This acknowledgement of the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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impermanence of lovers vows recurs in Poem 72, which explicitly references Poem 7041, where the
vow has been broken, and the lovers former ideas of his love are shattered: nunc te cognoui. The Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
speaker recognises that the impermanent vow which he took as permeant has been reneged on, and Font color: Auto
that he has been betrayed, he is iniuria, wounded by love. It was his failure to recognise the Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
Epicurean teachings on the unsustainability of romantic love which lead to his state of distress by the Font color: Auto
end of the poem. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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And do you mean to suggest hes trying to convey that explanation to us?
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When Lucreatius wrote his denouncement denunciation of romantic love in Book 4 of De Rerum Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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Natura, he may have had Catullus love poetry in mind. It is reasonable to assume that Catullus
represents attitudes with which Lucretius was familiar, however, it is possible to take this Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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interpretation further and argue, as Betensky does, that Lucretius' satire on love gains even more
point if it is read as a commentary on the way of life of the Catulluan lover 42, even going so far as to Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
speculate that the lovers satirised in Book 4 are indeed based on Catullus and his peers. A close Font color: Auto
reading between the texts lends credence to the idea that Lucretius composed some of his diatribe Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
with some of Catullus praise poems for Lesbia in mind. In Poem 51, Catullus translation of Sappho Font color: Auto
2, the mere act of sitting next to Lesbia, Catullus argues, makes a man par esse deo videtur43 (seem Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
equal to a god), or even to out-do the gods (superare diuos). Here Catullus falls prey to the very Font color: Auto
trap into which Lucretius miser lover has fallen into: he has called his lover above the gods, and
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will later realise their foolishness when the discover that they have tribuisse quod illi plus videat
quam mortali concedere par est44 (attributed to her more than is right to concede to a mortal) Formatted ...
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Lucretius list of misnomerous appellations have a root in romantic poetry [find some explicit
parallels] Formatted ...
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37
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Cat. 70. Line 1
38
Cat. 70. Line 4 Formatted
39 ...
(Konstan, Dec., 1972 - Jan., 1973)
40
(Konstan, Dec., 1972 - Jan., 1973) Formatted ...
41
nec prae me uelle tenere Iouem 72// nubere malle quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat 70
42
(Betensky, 1980, Feb) Formatted ...
43
Cat, 51. 1
44
Luc. Book 4, lines 1183-1184 Formatted ...

8
But in broader terms the Catullus worship of Lesbia is the incarnation of the Lucretian foolish lover,
and if the two are not related, then the marked similarity in presentation is quite a coincidence to
behold. The impact that this has on our interpretation of Catullus poetry and philosophy is huge:
Lucretius has presented Catullus as so spectacularly un-Epicurean that he becomes the inspiration of
what not to do. Does however such significant failure at being an Epicurean mean that Catullus was
never even trying to be an Epicurean at all? It seems unlikely that someone who truly subscribed to
these beliefs would fail in such an extreme manner as to become a polemical example.

Catullus acknowledges his Failed Epicurean Status


The ephemeral nature of desire prevents it from ever being something an Epicurean should strive for.
Catullus obsession with desire and Lesbia, the object of his desire, arguably makes a strong case for
him being discounted as being an Epicurean at all. As discussed in the introduction, the idea of
Catullus as a failed Epicurean only has validity if Catullus was actually trying to be an Epicurean in
the first place. After all, it would be ridiculous of to accuseing someone of failing something which
they were not even attempting to achieve. Can we therefore call Catullus a failed Epicurean? It may
still be possible to do so. Despite his un-Epicurean tendencies, Catullus does show signs that he
viewed his relationship, and particularly any troubles related to it, through a traditional Epicurean Commented [CC27]: Perhaps too he has found ways of
lens. He recognises what causes him pain is the unattainable nature of his desire. Catullus also expressing insatiability that complement Ls? (e.g. all those
numerical lists)
recognises that this is what brings him pain. Poem 85 addresses this idea in a particularly concise
manner. The opening sentence odi et amo, I hate and I love, is one of the most famous in the Formatted: Font color: Auto
Catullian corpus. Love and hatred are paired together, and not only this but they elide, the vowels and Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
thus the meaning of the words bleeding into one another. This is such an important aspect of the poem Font color: Auto
that [translator] when translating the poem, named it Odetamo, bringing the whole phrase into a Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
singular conglomerate word to express the inextricably entwined nature of love and hate. The couplet Font color: Auto
is bookended by the words odi and excrucior; surely from this we can glean that Catullus does Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
not have a wholly positive view towards love. However, with all of this self-aware pain, one could be Font color: Auto
forgiven for wondering why Catullus does not simply give up the ghost, as it were. Indeed, he knows
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that you will ask this, acknowledging your question: quare id faciam, fortasses requirirs. In reply, Font color: Auto
all he can say is nescio: I dont know. Catullus does not know why he continues to carry on with
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something which only brings him pain. He only knows that he is the passive recipient of pain. Font color: Auto
Later poems show a greater degree of awareness, indeed, displaying some of that famously Epicurean Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
sober reasoning45. Poem 51, which we previously mentioned for its idealising of Lesbia, concludes Font color: Auto
with a sharp transition into the realm of reason: Certainly Catullus seems to have made the leap from Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
passionate confession to objective reasoning as abrupt as possible46. The verse tacked onto the end Font color: Auto
has been interpreted by some as an Epicurean repudiation of sensual love47. Giuffrida48 reads the
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passage as being an Epicurean mission statement. This is because, he claims, the passage is a Font color: Auto
denunciation of things which prevent , that is, the Epicurean goal of tranquillity49, the
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absence of mental pain, which is, as Torquatus tells us, the true goal of Epicureanism. Moreover, Font color: Auto
Catullus recognises this and then seems to be desirous of taking arms against his sea of troubles, and
by opposing them, aims to end them. In Poem 8, Catullus rebukes himself, crying out miser Catulle, Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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desinas ineptire, et quod uides perisse perditum ducas (Lovesick Catullus, stop being such a fool,
and regard as lost what you see has died). He tells himself to move on, which he does so in a Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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Lucreatian-inspired style
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45
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[find quote from de finibus]
46 Font color: Auto
(Commager, 1965)
47
(Commager, 1965)
48
P. Giuffrida, L'Epicureismo nella letteratura latina II [Torino 1948] 245-65)
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49
Quote Torquatus interpretation Font color: Auto

9
Commented [CC28]: Meaning deceiving yourself about
individuals leads on to deceiving yourself about the
Lucretius suggests that when one is sick with love, one can cure oneself by seeing the object of your universe? (It might do via false beliefs about gods, magic,
affection as they truly are50: by seeing their flaws as flaws and not relabelling them as positive prayer ?)
descriptors. By doing this one avoids of the great causes of pain: mental disturbance brought about by Formatted: Font color: Auto
false beliefs in the nature of things51. Catullus, it can be argued, actually follows this advice to the
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letter, and takes his previous avowed praise of Lesbia and turns it to scorn far harsher than anything
Lucretius comes up with. Far from being Catullus meam puellam, Lesbia is now a hated whore52. Commented [CC29]: Try to make these mixed
expressions grammatical, e.g. is guilty of ineptire.
Catullus rejects her, and in Poem 8, exhorts himself to stop pining for this girl and obstinata mente
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perfer, obdura (harden your mind, endure, become firm). Much has been written on the possible
double entendre found in the use of the word obdura, but there is also a note of very Epicurean Commented [CC30]: Are there any views on how he
arrived at the order? Order of composition?
resolve to stick to decisions derived from Epicurean reasoning. The poem opens with Catullus calling
himself ineptire and commanding himself to quod vides perisse perditum ducas (regard as lost Commented [LEW31]: There are some but I need to
look into it more: some suggest that the polymetrics (the first
what you see has died). Catullus is ineptire because he has not lived his life in an Epicurean 60) are ordered by Catullus as a greatest hits kind of thing,
manner: now that his relationship has died, there is no use pining over it. It has ceased to be, so there others suggest that they are all ordered by Catullus, making
ought to be no feelings of loss. In Poem 8, Catullus Catullus <implicitly?> admits his status as a failed his last poem an ironic one, stating how things never change.
Epicurean. He attempts to live up to the standards set for him, and knows logically that he ought to We are assuming:
follow them, but finds it difficult to do so. Now however, he resolves to stand firm, and not give in to
worldly desires again. We also assume that Lucretius died before the poem was
completed: not fully published it in his time.
[Indeed, the chaotic ordering of the Catullian corpus makes it difficult to track the journey that the Books 1-3 are probs finished
4-6 shows signs of having not been revised.
man took philosophically. Common sense would like to tell us that Poem 8 was written before Poem Might have held readings
51, which seems unlikely. Butterfield postulates that Poem 11 is actually the last Lesbia poem53,
which is a bitter renouncement of Lesbias love, and bids her nec mneum respectet ut ante amorem
Lucretius: probably would have been familiar with Catullian
(and let her not look back for my love as before).] poetry. Theres every reason why people would know of
[Needs to be re-written to make more sense] him.

However, while it is impossible to know which of the Lesbia poems are indeed Catullus last, Poem 8 Formatted: Font color: Auto
illustrates that he was clearly capable of viewing himself through an Epicurean mode, lending Formatted: Font color: Auto
credence to the idea that Catullus was a poor measure of an Epicurean not by chance, but by failure on Commented [CC32]: will need to make it clearer why
his part to live as one, aby by doing so, providing an example of why the Epicurean sober reasoning thats relevant
and virtue is needed for living the truly pleasurable life. Commented [CC33]: not precisely
Commented [LEW34]: I dont mean highest form of
good: the highest interpersonal relationship is one of ...
Section on how Catullus tries to present his relationship with Lesbia as being not like Formatted: Font color: Auto
romantic love, but ROME-antic love (i.e. how he uses language to legitimise his Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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relationship using the discourse of public male friendship/ familial bonds)
Bring in stuff on Epicurean friendship as being the highest form of good. Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 8 pt,
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Section 4
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Conclusion
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It is therefore possible to conclude that while Catullus may not have been a self-identifying
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Epicurean, he was certainly influenced by the Epicurean atmosphere of contemporary Rome. This Font color: Auto

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50 Font color: Auto
Luc. Book 4, lines 1151-1152
51
A.A. Long and Sedley
52
See: Cat 58
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53
Cite: Find a real citation be he said it in lectures: Catullus III Font color: Auto

10
influence can be put down to a number of reasons: being mutual friends with notorious Epicureans
and having experience of the poetry of synchronic Epicureans like Lucretius and Philodemos are the
examples we have discussed. However, even if Catullus had no personal contact with these influential
Epicureans, the literary atmosphere was conductive to the spread of these ideas, and to read Catullus
without context is to silence a large facet of understanding. Furthermore, it is valuable for us as
readers to examine Catullus through the lens of Epicureanism even if he never intended for it to be
there. We can gain valuable insights into Epicurean psychology from this intensely personal poet.
Finally, it is unlikely that Catullus did not have a familiarity with Epicureanism, and indeed his own
emotional journey may be reflective of growing awareness and philosophical- awareness which
potentially resulted in the fascinating progression captured in his poetry.

Catullus then, depending on where his poems end, may or may not be considered a failed
epicurean.

Certainly, he fails consistently and through, mistaking a lot of empty pleasures for necessary
ones

But in the end, he may have exulted himself to move on, and thus be a failed Epicurean no Commented [CC35]: ?
more

11

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