Lucretius and His Sources: A Study of Lucretius, "De rerum natura" I 635-920

by Francesco Montarese

Overview

This book discusses Lucretius’ refutation of Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras and other, unnamed thinkers in De Rerum Natura 1, 635-920. Chapter 1 argues that in DRN I 635-920 Lucretius was following an Epicurean source, which in turn depended on Theophrastean doxography. Chapter 2 shows that books 14 and 15 of Epicurus’ On Nature were not Lucretius’ source-text. Chapter 3 discusses how lines 635-920 fit in the structure of book 1 and whether Lucretius’ source is more likely to have been Epicurus himself or a neo-Epicurean. Chapter 4 focuses on Lucretius’ own additions to the material he derived from his sources and on his poetical and rhetorical contributions, which were extensive. Lucretius shows an understanding of philosophical points by adapting his poetical devices to the philosophical arguments. Chapter 4 also argues that Lucretius anticipates philosophical points in what have often been regarded as the ‘purple passages’ of his poem - e.g. the invocation of Venus in the proem, and the description of Sicily and Aetna - so that he could take them up later on in his narrative and provide an adequate explanation of reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783110194524
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Publication date:	05/18/2012
Series:	Sozomena , #12
Pages:	326
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.04(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Francesco Montarese, Mander Portman Woodward Colleges, London, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Lucretius drew the Critique from an earlier Epicurean polemic 11

1.1 Lucretius' information is second-hand 20

1.2 Lucretius' source was an Epicurean text 35

1.2.1 Lucretius' use of homoeomeria 36

1.2.2 The choice of Heraclitus as representative monist 40

1.2.2.1 The Stoics as fire monists? 43

1.2.2.2 The Stoic denial of void in the world? 44

1.2.3 Lucretius' arguments against the limited pluralists 46

1.2.3.1 Lines 753-781 46

1.2.3.2 Lines 782-802 47

1.2.4 The Epicurean angle 50

1.3 Conclusion 56

Chapter 2 Books XIV and XV of Epicurus' Περι Φυσεως 58

2.1 The content of books XTV and XV 58

2.1.1 Book XTV was not dedicated to polemic 59

2.1.1.1 Evidence from the format of PHerc. 1148 59

2.1.1.2 Columns I-XXII 60

2.1.1.3 Columns XXIII and XXIV 63

2.1.1.4 Evidence from the sezioni 66

2.1.2 Epicurus did not discuss Heraclitus' theory ΠΦ XIV 78

2.1.3 Epicurus did not refute Empedocles' theory ΠΦ XIV 79

2.1.4 Book XV was not dedicated to criticism of Anaxagoras 84

2.1.4.1 Cornice 2 86

2.1.4.2 Cornice 3 105

2.1.4.3 Cornice 4 110

2.1.4.4 Cornice 5 116

2.1.4.5 Cornici 6 and 7 122

2.1.4.6 Cornice 8 125

2.2 Other considerations intrinsic to Epicurus' work 128

2.3 Do Π Φ XIV and XV depend on Theophrastus' Φυσιχαι δοξαι? 131

2.3.1 Was Plato the last of the limited pluralists in Theophrastus' Φυσιχαι δοξαι? 137

2.3.2 The detail of the arguments against Plato and air monism 138

2.3.3 The dating of IIφ XIV and of Theophrastus'Φυσιχαι δοξαι? 143

2.4 Conclusion 145

Chapter 3 Lucretius' use of sources in DRN I 147

3.1 The source of DRN I.156-598 and 951-1107 147

3.2 Did Lucretius change source after line 598 of DRN I? 152

3.3 The Critique does not derive from the same source as 155ff 158

3.4 The connection between lines 634 and 635 160

3.5 Why did Lucretius have the Critique at the centre of book I? 163

3.6 Was Epicurus the source of the Critique? 168

3.7 Did Lucretius use a later Epicurean source? 171

3.7.1 The choice of Heraclitus 177

3.7.2 Lucretius' use of homoeomeria 179

3.8 Conclusion 181

Chapter 4 Lucretius in the Critique 182

4.1 Heraclitus as a general 182

4.2 Heraclitus' army 185

4.2.1 Stolidi and inanes Graii 186

4.2.2 Sound and truth 190

4.2.3 Inversis sub verbis 199

4.3 The theme of the path and the search for truth 208

4.3.1 Lines 657-59 209

4.3.2 Lines 690-700 211

4.4 Empedocles and Sicily 212

4.4.1 Empedocles' language: poetry as revelation 213

4.4.2 Lucretius' praise 216

4.4.3 Etna 223

4.4.4 Lucretius' endorsement of Empedocles' discoveries 224

4.4.5 The four elements: Empedocles' disastrous fall 231

4.5 Lucretius' presentation of Anaxagoras' theory 235

4.5.1 Lucretius' transliteration homoeomeria 236

4.5.2 Parody of Anaxagoras 238

4.6 The mortality of Anaxagoras' primordia 239

4.7 Lucretius' strategy in lines 859-74 243

4.8 The analogy of letters and atoms 245

4.8.1 Lines 823-29 247

4.8.2 Intertextuality 250

4.8.3 Lines 906-14 251

4.9 Formularity 253

4.10 The parallelism between lines 803-29 and 897-920 255

4.11 The Critique as 'dialogue' 257

4.12 Conclusion 264

Appendix (A) Two stages of composition? 267

Appendix (B) The format of PHerc. 1148 and PHerc. 1151 273

Appendix (C) Do Epicurus' Ad Herodotum and Ad Pythoclem reflect continuous books of π Φ 283

Abbreviations 289

Bibliography 291