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We are pleased to invite proposals for a conference on

Horace and Seneca: Interactions, Intertexts, Interpretations

(University of Heidelberg, September 1–3, 2015)

In traditional accounts of literary history, a connection between Horace and Seneca is rarely observed. One is the classic Augustan poet, striving after the golden mean, and self-professed «hog from Epicurus’ herd.» The other is the rigorous Neronian author, highly mannered in his poetry, and generally considered the leading exponent of the Roman Stoa. Closer inspection, however, reveals several points of comparison. Both were literati who engaged in philosophy (or vice versa: philosophers who engaged in literature?); both worked in a multitude of genres over the course of their careers; and both are frequently scrutinised by scholars for their relationship to the political elite. In addition, there are countless formal overlaps in their literary output, such as the witty, sometimes sententious style; the choral lyrics of Seneca, unimaginable without Horace’s odes; the philosophical epistle, albeit dressed up by Horace as hexametric sermo; and the forms of the diatribe and the satire.

Our conference aims to address this literary-historical desideratum and to undertake the first steps towards a wider and more detailed comparison of Horace and Seneca. In the process, some fundamental literary questions and interpretive models will be re-considered. These may include, but are not limited to the following:

—        Authorship: What is an author? What do we mean when we talk about «Horace» and «Seneca»? How should we comprehend the different personae adopted by an author in different works? What is the relationship between art and life, between aesthetics and ethics?

—        Intertextuality and theory of genre: How do prose and verse texts interact with each other? What is a quotation? Can the same models of intertextuality be applied to the study of prose and poetry? What about the special case of Menippean satire, which contains aspects of both? How do Horace and Seneca create explicit and implicit histories of literature and of literary genres?

—        Problems of reception: Does Horace function for Seneca as an intermediary to certain Greek or pre-classical Roman authors? Does Seneca function for later authors as an intermediary to Horace? Is the dramatic theory outlined in Horace’s Ars poetica put into practice in Seneca’s tragedies? More generally, have the almost 2000 years of Horace and Seneca reception seen any predecessors to our project of examining the two authors side by side?

—        Models of literary careers: What is the relationship between the life and work of an author? How are Horace’s and Seneca’s oeuvres structured? Can any parallels be drawn (e.g. the composition of satires at the start of their careers)? What are the external influences that affect the “Werkpolitik” of our two authors?

—        The relationship between literature and power: To what extent does the Augustan milieu differ from the Neronian? How do Horace and Seneca define their relationship to power? What is the significance of their affiliation to philosophical and literary circles? Does literature contribute to the contemporary political discourse or is it merely a product thereof? How are the authors’ claims to self-assertion formulated?

We invite abstracts for papers and suggestions for posters that address the relationship between Horace and Seneca along these lines. Submissions from postgraduate students and early career researchers are welcomed.

Confirmed speakers include Rita degl’Innocenti Pierini (Università degli Studi di Firenze), John Moles (University of Newcastle), Richard Tarrant (Harvard University), Paulo Sérgio de Vasconcellos (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), Gregor Vogt-Spira (Universität Marburg).

The languages of the conference are German and English. Any subsequent publication will be in English.

Abstracts should include your name, email address and the title of your paper. If you are interested in presenting a paper, please send an abstract of no more than 500 words to

kathrin.winter@skph.uni-heidelberg.de

and/or

martin.stoeckinger@skph.uni-heidelberg.de.

The deadline is 15th November 2014. Programme decisions will be communicated at the beginning of January. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further enquiries.

Martin Stöckinger and Kathrin Winter