Poesie und Freundschaft

At the end of the first century CE, we see a broad reception of Catullus, both members of the nobility and professional writers such as Pliny the Younger, Martial and Statius. Three significant aspects are to be considered: By reading and adapting Catullus, they can establish a connection with the great writers of the past. Given the rise of Latin literary canons in the first century, Catullus is a particularly suitable model to be imitated, and maybe even to surpass. The most important aspect, for amateurs and professionals alike, is the social representation inherent in the act of reception. The Catullan oeuvre mainly appeals to writers because parts of its poetic programme can also be found in the set of rules the nobility abides by and in their sociable institutions. The way Catullus celebrates amicitia in his poems becomes a model of self-representation for an elite which seeks to impress with cultural savoir-faire; likewise, it serves to create consensus and self-assurance. Finally professional writers read and appropriate Catullus in like manner, with regard to social aspects. Catullan poetry serves as a way of displaying friendship, especially when looking at the interchange between poeta and patronus; this is quite similar to amateur poetry in the style of Pliny. It is a means of establishing proximity, familiarity and community between socially unequal parties.