Wunschorte und Wunschzeiten der Antike. Utopie in Griechenland und Rom
Abstract Roman culture apparently did not produce utopian literature in the strict sense. Even in the political and moral crisis of the period of civil wars, authors like Livy primarily focused on the Roman past to redress the catastrophic present. But around 40 B. C. Vergil and Horace can be seen a...
| Veröffentlicht in: | Das Mittelalter. - AKADEMIE VERLAG, 1996. - 18(2013), 2 vom: Dez., Seite 14-39 |
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| Format: | Aufsatz |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2013
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Das Mittelalter |
| Schlagworte: | Vergil Fourth Ecloge Aeneid Horace Golden Age Augustus Utopia/Utopian Literature |
| Zusammenfassung: | Abstract Roman culture apparently did not produce utopian literature in the strict sense. Even in the political and moral crisis of the period of civil wars, authors like Livy primarily focused on the Roman past to redress the catastrophic present. But around 40 B. C. Vergil and Horace can be seen adapting Greek utopian motifs to reflect upon the plight of the Roman people and their imminent future. Whereas Horace seems to look for a imaginative “Isle of the Blessed” in sharp contrast to actual Roman politics, Vergil innovatively sketches a renewed Golden Age to take place precisely in Italy. But unlike Greek utopian writers he does not claim to offer a structural alternative to the present state of affairs. In the ‘Aeneid’, Augustus is said to bring back an implicitly utopian reign of justice and peace. This is not a simple piece of propaganda, but a sophisticated yardstick to assess the new political system that came to life by brute force and uncanny mastery of Roman politics. |
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| Beschreibung: | © 2014 Akademie Verlag GmbH, Markgrafenstr. 12-14, 10969 Berlin. |
| ISSN: | 0949-0345 |
| DOI: | 10.1524/mial.2013.18.2.14 |