The Transvestite Achilles: Gender and Genre in Statius' <I>Achilleid</I>

P. J. Heslin

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511482236

Statius' Achilleid is a playful, witty, and open-ended epic in the manner of Ovid. As we follow Achilles' metamorphosis from wild boy to demure girl to lover to hero, the poet brilliantly illustrates a series of contrasting codes of behaviour: male and female, epic and elegiac. This first full-length study of the poem addresses not only the narrative itself, but also sets the myth of Achilles on Scyros within a broad interpretive framework. The exploration ranges from the reception of the Achilleid in Baroque opera to the anthropological parallels that have been adduced to explain Achilles' transvestism. The study's expansive approach, which includes Ovid and Ovidian reception, psychoanalytic perspectives and theorizations of gender in antiquity, makes it essential reading not only for students of Statius, but for students of Latin literature, and of gender in antiquity.

'… a welcome addition to the ever-increasing number of scholarly works devoted to elucidating the subtle politics and sophisticated poetics of imperial Latin epic … animated throughout … a significant contribution to Latin literary studies in this stimulating volume.'

'[The author's] profound familiarity with classical literature enables him to approach the issue from a wide perspective and pay attention to versatile conventions and details. Through structural and linguistic analysis the author is able to expose Statius' subtle and humoristic treatment of classical literature. … Heslin's profound orientation on the subject enables the reader to consider the Achilleid not only as a successful epic narrative, but also as a reflection of the whole range of classical literature preceding the imperial era - a respectful nod to the great classical authors, and a witty parody of genre-related clichés. … All in all, Heslin's survey is an admirable pursuit to fill the void concerning the study of the Achilleid by classical scholars.'

Source: De novis libris iudicia

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The Transvestite Achilles

Gender and Genre in Statius' Achilleid

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi

Contents
pp vii-viii

Acknowledgments
pp ix-x

Introduction
pp xi-xx

1 - Opening Nights at the Opera 1641–1744
pp 1-56

2 - The Design of the Achilleid
pp 57-104

3 - Womanhood, Rhetoric, and Performance
pp 105-156

4 - Semivir, Semifer, Semideus
pp 157-192

5 - Transvestism in Myth and Ritual
pp 193-236

6 - Rape, Repetition, and Romance
pp 237-276

7 - Conclusion
pp 277-300

Works Cited
pp 301-330

Index Locorum
pp 331-342

General Index
pp 343-349

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The Transvestite Achilles

Gender and Genre in Statius' Achilleid

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