Catullus, Hesiod, and the Muses

In this paper I argue that Catullus 32 constitutes a sustained engagement with Hesiod’s Theogony. In addition to the humor previously identified by scholars, the poem also contains an elaborate intertextual joke. I base my argument on the evidence of the eighth line’s exaggerated sexual boast, the oft-disputed name of the addressee, the poem’s strange logic of invitation, and Catullus’ self-presentation in the poem’s closing lines. I conclude that the poem is a humorous reflection on the nature of poetic inspiration.