9.2) Horace Epistles 1.20: Intro
1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Horace’s final epistle addresses the book itself as its recipient. Thus it breaks any semblance of epistolarity and shows that we are meant to view this primarily as a book of poetry, not a collection of “real” letters and allusions to Odes 2.20 and 3.30 underscore this idea (see Harrison 1988). This might seem like an odd strategy in the concluding poem of the work but most scholars believe it “works” and allows Horace to surprise the reader, offer an evocative send off to the book, and provide information about himself (see, e.g. Oliensis 1998: 175-81). While the main motif running through the poem compares the tome to a prostituting slave boy, it also deals with themes present throughout the entire collection: the individual versus the flock, freedom versus slavery, how to reconcile conflicting emotions and ideals, etc. As the last installment of the collection, this letter additionally concerns itself with expressions of finality in one’s life and coming full circle. Not shying away from these big questions, Horace discusses them with rich metaphor and clever wordplay.
2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 The central metaphor parallels the life of a book with that of a wanton youth, examining the existences they lust after and the harsh reality they are likely to receive. This is a Callimachean trope (cf. Epig. 28), but Horace takes the comparison and runs with it. The reader learns from Horace as the narrator (monitor) how much the book has hated being kept locked away and how it longs to go out in public. Here, the writer claims the book wants to smooth itself with pumice—something young male prostitutes would do to hide the effects of aging, as well as something booksellers would do to their books in order to sell them. Horace warns, however, how poorly people will treat him once he is released, having been contrectatus by dirty hands. Contrectatus fits perfectly with the reality of what will happen to the book, as well as with the metaphor of the groomed youth. It can mean “to touch repeatedly” or “handle carelessly,” (for the book) but can also mean “to have sex with,” (for the boy) potentially carrying a negative connotation.
3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 Conflicting sentiments also undergird many of the verses. Even though Horace tells the poem to flee where it wants to go—away from him—he really seems to imply “please don’t go.” While Horace justifies his worries with examples of maltreatment, his words seem to echo previous epistles concerning the poet’s desire to live peacefully in the country. He wants to be away from the herd, while acknowledging the occasional longing for their approval (as in Epistle 1.19)—something he can’t attain without making his writing public. Horace warns the book that novelity soon wears off and the book may be shipped off to backwater parts of the empire. However, the spread of such a book — as far as Africa or Spain — also grants the book a more universal readership. Horace “concedes” that this work will be used in schools, which he couches in language that disparages how impressive a feat this would be. He even goes so far to mention that his publication will carry his fame and honour, how people will ask the book about its author long after he’s passed. These ideas at odds appear to recall how Horace preaches one thing but admits that he often falls short of his own advice (see Epistle 1.8).
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The finale-like qualities of this text evidence themselves abundantly: as Horace addresses Maecenas in his first epistle as an author does his muse, so this poem states the “end” of the relationship between Horace and his liber. Opening the poem with Ianus, invoking January, and ending with Decembres, calls forth cyclical imagery of a full year. The final lines act as a sphragis, in which the book muses about the life of its author. Finally, Horace gives his age (a rarity in Augustan poetry) and declares how the book will carry his honor once he is gone, providing a satisfactory yet bittersweet ending to his noble collection of poems.