more information – www.cambridge.org/9781107016118 THE EPIC GAZE Theepicgenrehasatitsheartafascinationwiththehorrorofviewing death. Epic heroes have active visual power, yet become objects, turned into monuments, watched by two main audiences: the gods above and the women on the sidelines. This stimulating, ambitious study investigates the theme of vision in Greek and Latin epic from HomertoNonnus,bringingtheedgesofepicintodialoguewiththe most celebrated moments (the visual confrontation of Hector and Achilles,thefailureofTurnus’gaze),revealing epicasmassiveasser- tionofauthorityandfracturedrepresentation.HelenLovattdemon- strates the complexity of epic constructions of gender: from Apollonius’MedeatopplingTaloswithhereyestoParthenopaeusas object ofdesire.Shediscussesmortalsappropriating thedivinegaze, prophets as both penetrative viewers and rape victims, explores the divine authority of epic ecphrasis, and exposes the way that heroic bodiesarefragmentedandfetishised. helen lovatt isAssociateProfessorofClassicsattheUniversityof Nottingham and her teaching includes epic and itsreception. Sheis the author of Statius and Epic Games (Cambridge, 2005), and co- editor,withCarolineVout,ofEpicVisions(Cambridge,forthcoming). THE EPIC GAZE Vision, Gender and Narrative in Ancient Epic HELEN LOVATT cambridge university press Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown, Singapore,SãoPaulo,Delhi,MexicoCity CambridgeUniversityPress TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb28ru,UK PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107016118 ©HelenLovatt2013 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2013 PrintedandboundbyCPIGroup(UK)Ltd,CroydonCR04YY AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary isbn978-1-107-01611-8Hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate. Contents Preface page vii Listoftextsandabbreviations ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Thedivinegaze 29 3 Themortalgaze 78 4 Thepropheticgaze 122 5 EcphrasisandtheOther 162 6 Thefemalegaze 205 7 Heroicbodiesondisplay 262 8 Theassaultivegaze 310 9 Fixingitforgood:Medusaandmonumentality 347 Bibliography 375 Indexlocorum 402 Generalindex 407 v Preface While I was writing this book, I was diagnosed with a visual impairment. Since I am already very short-sighted and now in addition suffer from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye condition in which parts of your retina(theedges,tostartwith)simplyceasetowork,thereisacertainirony inwritingabookonvision.DoIhavetherequisiteclarityofperceptionto makedeclarationsontheworkingsofviewingandvisualpower?OrshouldI hurryitalongwhileIcanstillwatchfilmsandseemycomputerscreen?Or are the lurking measles on my retina as meaningless as the lichen on a gravestone?AmIgoingblind,oramIonlyjustabitmoreblindthanIwas before? Or will I fall off a cliff tomorrow, not seeing it beneath my feet, leavingonlythisunfinishedmanuscriptasmyownmonument? Thisprojecthasbeenanepicofeverydaylife,attemptingtojuggleallthe commitmentsofacademic,personalandfamilylife.Iowethankstomany peopleforhelpingtocreatethespaceandtimeforthinkingandwriting,as well as the impetus and stimulus for actually doing it. Murray Edwards College,Cambridge,gavemeaJuniorResearchFellowship,whichallowed metostartthinking,andmeantthatIwasabletostayinthegameatall.The Dean’s Fund at the University of Nottingham and the generosity of my colleagues at the department of Classics cleared me an extra semester of much-neededtime,withoutwhichthisbookwouldbemuchpoorer,ifnot still stuck indefinitely in never-land. It is my particular pleasure to thank friendsandcolleaguesattheUniversityofSydney,whoflewmeout,putme up, showed me around, listened to me and fed me exceptionally well – Alastair Blanshard, Bob Cowan, Paul Roche, Frances Muecke and espe- ciallyAnneRogerson.Mycolleaguespastandpresenthavemademethink: especiallyCarrieVout,LynnFotheringham,SusanneTurnerandKatharina Lorenz.Studentshavearguedwithmeandinspiredme:Icanpickoutmy third-year special subject group of 2007–8, and Alice White and Andy Valner in 2009. Audiences in various locations (Groningen, Manchester, Exeter, Lampeter, Cork, Cardiff, Santiago de Compostela, and especially vii viii Preface Sydney) have listened and viewed with scepticism and enthusiasm: Hans Smolenaars, Federico Santangelo, Douglas Cairns and Daniel Ogden offered helpful thoughts and advice. Stephen Wheeler helped kick me off intherightdirection.TimStover,TobiasMyersandRobinOsbornekindly allowedmetolookatworkinadvanceofpublication.Mentorsandfriends have cast sharp eyes over drafts: John Henderson, Helen Van Noorden, HelenAsquith,JudithMossman,AlanSommerstein,PatrickFinglass.The anonymousreaderforCambridgeUniversityPressprovidedveryconstruc- tiveandhelpfulcomments.MichaelSharphasbeensupportive,patientand encouraging. Thank you to Anna Hodson for keen-eyed copy-editing. In particular I would like to thank Philip Hardie for making me feel peren- nially inadequate in the best possible way, who has read it all, some of it severaltimes,andimproveditimmeasurably.The(nodoubtmany)errors that still remain, are, of course, my own responsibility. Most importantly myloveandthanksgotomyfamilyforsupportandencouragement:from parents to children and children to parents. My mother, who voluntarily readsmywork;myfather,whoisalwaysthere;Andrew,whotookthestrain whenIwasoutofthepicture;Jonathan,wholooksattheworldwithbright eyes; and Caroline, who enjoys being looked at but is equally capable of turninghergazeaway:itistothemthatIdedicatethisbook.