The Priapus Poems Erotic Epigrams from Ancient Rome
- List Price: $37.00
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr
- Publish date: 05/01/1999
Description:
Unmistakable by virtue of his exaggerated phallus, Priapus -- one of Rome's minor fertility gods -- inspired a host of epigrammatic poems that offer one of the best primary sources for the study of ancient sexuality.
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Despite their apparent frivolity, the Priapus poems raise basic questions of class and gender, censorship, and the nature of obscenity. The god's self-conscious indecency placed him squarely in the realm of comedy, but his role as guardian of fertility also gave him a deep religious significance. Richard Hooper's introduction explores this important duality and places the poems in their historical context.
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