Examines the role of psychoanalysis within Latin literary studies, focusing on what psychoanalytic theory has to contribute to interpretation. The argument is organized around three key topics - mourning, motherhood, and the origins of sexual difference - and takes the poetry of Catullus, Virgil, and Ovid as its point of reference.
The exploration of Horace's poetry reveals how it constructs the author's literary and social authority. Ellen Oliensis examines Horace's work as a reflection of his self-image, emphasizing its role in social interactions. She interprets his poems as acts of face-saving and self-effacement, shaped by the need to assert authority while acknowledging patrons and addressing contemporary envy. Utilizing insights from sociolinguistics and new historicism, the book analyzes Horace's evolving strategies of authority and deference throughout his career.