Lucan’s Role as Poet in Book IX

Emily E. Batinski (Louisiana State University)

Lucan’s Bellum Civile challenges the reader’s expectations of epic. As critics frequently note, Lucan is a constant presence who subverts or even destroys aspects of canonical epic. To achieve this the poet relies in part on paradox, irony, manipulation of traditional epic features, as well as inclusion of non-epic elements. Scholars have noted Lucan’s allusions to Alexandrian aesthetics and his use of Callimachean imagery (Masters, Thomas). This paper examines Lucan’s creation and exploitation of a recusatio which has escaped critical attention. In Book IX Lucan recounts Cato’s struggle through the Libyan desert and his army’s confrontation with bizarrely lethal serpents. With Hellenistic erudition, he recounts the mythological history of this land. However, the poet intrudes and disrupts the narrative which should enrich the epic trappings of his account and Cato’s journey. Lucan laments invidus, qui annoso qui fama derogat aevo,/ qui vates ad vera vocat (9.359-60). The jealous reader/critic demands that the poet narrate the truth and excise mythological and fabulous tales from the early history of these deserts. Lucan evokes Callimachus with the adjective invidus , which echoes the conclusion of the Hymn to Apollo in which the god kicks φθόνος, the advocate of epic poetry (AP 105-7). In Lucan, envy ironically opposes a conventional epic embellishment since it detracts from the truth. Granted that Callimachus does not present a polemic between myth and truth, the history of the recusatio is fluid. Callimachus’ contempt for poets who continue to write epic is transformed by the Augustan poets who ironically deprecate their own talents as insufficient to glorify the accomplishments of Augustus. However, Lucan assumes an ironic pose to protest the declaration of those who reject epic conventions and wish to replace myth (fama) with truth (vera).

In stark contrast, later in Book IX Lucan echoes his earlier recusatio when he assures Caesar that because of the Bellum Civile he will achieve the same immortality bestowed by Homer on the heroes of his epics. (9.980-86). The poet proffers this reassurance after the battle of Pharsalia and Caesar’s tour of Troy’s ruins. At this point Lucan repeats vocabulary from his earlier recusatio: invidia sacrae, Caesar, ne tangere famae. Lucan has created a distinct and important contrast between his first recusatio and its echo. The first recusatio contends that Cato’s trek across the Libyan desert should narrate the truth without epic embellishment, whereas its echo asserts that Caesar covets sacra fama conferred by epic. Cato’s reputation does not require epic confirmation, but Caesar’s requires it.

Lucan’s recusatio introducing Cato’s journey through deserts and battles with serpents indicates that Cato’s heroism is be better served by the truth, whereas Caesar’s quest for immortality is best acquired through traditional epic embellishments.