Inconsistency in Flavian Epic

This collection of essays explores the phenomenon of inconsistency in the three major Latin epics of the Flavian Age (69-96 CE), Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica, Statius’ Thebaid and Silius Italicus’ Punica. The Introduction provides a detailed theoretical foundation that accounts for inconsistency both as an objective effect inherent in narrative content and as a more subjective one involving style and subject matter. It is followed by eight chapters by leading international experts on the three poems in question. The rich analyses of these contributors demonstrate that inconsistency is often a strategic device deployed by the Flavian epicists to achieve specific effects, so that its careful study yields precious insights into their respective artistic, thematic and ideological agendas.