In this paper, I propose a reading of a simile in Statius’ Achilleid (1.178–181), inside the Achilles’ first appearance on the scene. In a few lines, Statius condenses an athletic–heroic image, prefiguring the future epic hero of the Trojan war, but paradoxically expressed with an allusive erotic–elegiac language, inspired on the Challimacus’, Theocritus’ and elegiac also style. In particular, the Propertian model, recalled here and in other places of the Achilleid with certain references to elegy 3.14, reveals itself not only as a simple lexical repertoire todraw from, but also a wise exemplum for the metapoetic reflection, particularly supported within the first book of Achilleid , and focused on the ‘curve’ of the cultivated literary genre.
In questo contributo propongo alcune riflessioni su una similitudine nell’Achilleide di Stazio (1.178–181), contenuta nella prima apparizione di Achille sulla scena. In pochi versi Stazio condensa un’immagine atletico–eroica, prefigurazione del futuro eroe epico della guerratroiana, ma paradossalmente espressa con un linguaggio formulare allusivamente erotico– elegiaco, di stampo callimacheo, teocriteo ed anche elegiaco. In particolare, il modello properziano, richiamato qui e in altri luoghi dell’Achilleide con sicuri riferimenti all’elegia 3.14, si rivela non solamente un mero repertorio lessicale al quale attingere, ma anche un sapiente exemplum per la riflessione metapoetica, particolarmente sostenuta all’interno del primo libro dell’Achilleide , ed incentrata sulla ‘curvatura’ del genere letterario coltivato.
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