Seneca and chain of reception Flashcards
Q: When and under whom was Seneca’s Trojan Women written?
A: Written between 45–65 AD under the Roman emperor Nero.
Q: What is a key uncertainty about Seneca’s tragedies, including Trojan Women?
A: It is unclear whether they were meant for performance or private recitation.
Q: What are key features of Senecan tragedy?
A: Rhetoric, excess, psychological states (delirium, possession), horror, confinement, meta-theatricality, and Stoic philosophy.
Q: How does Seneca’s work relate to Greek tragedy?
A: It adapts and reworks Greek models (like Euripides) through Roman rhetorical and philosophical lenses.
Q: What does Gian Biagio Conte argue about literary tradition?
A: Tradition is rewritten by new texts; imitation invites a double reading that redefines past works, changing their relevance within tradition.
Q: What does R. Miola mean by “source criticism”?
A: The study of how texts draw on earlier influences, not just through direct citation, but also via traditions, genres, subtexts, and cultural context.
Q: What is the ‘chain of receptions’?
A: The idea that we engage with classical texts through their ongoing legacy, not as isolated artifacts.
What is the problem with the ‘chain’ metaphor in reception?
A: It implies linearity and burden, rather than the creative, dialogic nature of reception.
Q: How did Romans view their literary relationship to Greece?
A: They felt a sense of belatedness, seeing themselves as culturally following Greece, but aimed to match or surpass Greek achievements through imitation and adaptation.
Q: What does Seneca’s bee metaphor in Epistulae 84 suggest about imitation?
A: Writers should gather from many sources like bees collecting nectar, then transform and blend those influences into something uniquely their own.
Even if the original sources are recognizable, the final product has its own identity.
Q: How did ancient views of originality differ from modern ones?
A: Ancient authors valued imitation and transformation of earlier works, whereas modern views often emphasize total originality and invention.
