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AN INTERPOLATION IN CLAUDIAN, DE RAPTV PROSERPINAE 2.343–7

2020; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 70; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0009838820000208

1471-6844

Kyle Gervais,

Historical and Literary Studies

In his recent monograph on textual criticism, Richard Tarrant discusses the history, problems and practices of diagnosing interpolations in Latin texts, and persuasively argues for ‘restor[ing] interpolation to the editor's armoury’. In the hopes of better arming future editors, I identify a possible interpolation in the second book of Claudian's De Raptu Proserpinae (= DRP ). The passage in question describes the celebrations in the underworld that attend the wedding of Pluto and Proserpina; joining in the holiday mood, the Furies let their snaky hair down to enjoy a drink of wine while they light festive torches for the nuptials ( DRP 2.343–7): oblitae scelerum formidatique furoris Eumenides cratera parant et uina feroci crine bibunt flexisque minis iam lene canentes 345 extendunt socios ad pocula plena cerastas et festas alio succendunt lumine taedas.