Of Birds and Praise: Rhetoric and Literary Criticism in Callimachus’ 4th Iambus

Abstract

Rhetoric was the subject of lively debate in philosophy and on the theatre stage right up to the Hellenistic period. But what form does this discourse on rhetoric take in Hellenistic poetry? What functions does it fulfil, especially in relationship with poetological considerations and discussions in literary criticism? I will address these questions by taking Callimachus’ 4th Iamb (= Fr. 194 Pf.) as an exemplary case of dynamic interaction between poetics and rhetoric. First, I show that the presence of rhetorical elements is particularly marked in this Iambus. For example, the agonistic conversation between the laurel and the olive represents a rhetorical performance. The 4th Iambus presents many more rhetorical aspects which ask for interpretation (what is their meaning and how do they relate to the allusions to stylistic or literary-aesthetic concerns in this Iambus?). Second, to make sense of these rhetorical elements, I focus on the dialogue between the two birds embedded in the fable of the laurel and the olive. By means of semantic analysis and by exploring the motif of the crow and its relationship with literary critical reflections in earlier representations, I show that the dialogue between the two birds functions as a mise en abyme and problematizes the act of praising on an aesthetic as well as on an ethical level. The implications thereof suggest that Callimachus’ 4th Iambus stages a reflection on the means and aims of praise that both pertains to rhetoric and poetics.

Dr. Laura Bottenberg, Research Assistant, Classics Department, University of Tübingen