A commentary on the eleventh book of the Punica of Silius Italicus

Abstract

Preface: The scope of the commentary is limited. I have been concerned with establishing the diction of Silius in Book 11. I have shown which words are confined to epic, which words are poetic and which words are prosaic. I have not attempted to establish whether there is a correlation between Silius' use of 'poetic' and' prosaic' words and the content of what he is saying. But I have noticed that Silius frequently uses prosaic words when he is following Livy or some other historical source. In other cases, Silius may be using prosaic words because of his own training as an orator. He is clearly indebted to Cicero. Nor have I attempted to establish whether there is any particular effect when Silius uses a'poetic' or 'prosaic' word or phrase or construction. I have been influenced by considerations of length and also by the fact that I believe any such attempted interpretation, although it might produce valuable results, would of necessity be much more subjective than what I have actually done. I leave any such interpretation to future researchers of Silius.