| Description |
Catullus is one of that small group of classical poets whose work - over the centuries - has consistently influenced subsequent writers. His impact on literature can be clearly seen in the area of epithalamic poetry, for he enriched the native Greek elements of the genre with the flavor of Roman life and the Catullan personality. When the poets of the English Renaissance turned to the carmina of Catullus for inspiration, many of their works, including their epithalamia, blossomed under the influence of the Latin poet, and the best of the these poets are those who were able to achieve a harmony between their affinity for Catallus and the classical tradition and their own temperaments. This paper will explore in depth Catullus' three wedding songs not only as separate entities but also as cohesive elements in the body of his work, and will attempt ot account for the appeal this poet held for four gifted English poets living many centuries after him. |
