Peasant poetry and urban audience in Calpurnius Siculus and Nemesianus

Abstract

Although rural communities are a major topic in studies on Roman bucolic poetry, the shepherds on these poems are usually not considered peasants. There is a context in which most characters in Calpurnius Siculus and Nemesianus may be seen as members of Roman peasantry. In these texts, the shepherds are represented as socially inferior to other kinds of poet. In Calpurnius Siculus’ Eclogue 4, Corydon, in spite of his condition, despises the rustic poetic style and wants to go to Rome in order to have the emperor’s approval, an aspect often considered an indicator of decay of the rural poetry. Furthermore, in Nemesianus’ Eclogue 2, Alcon mentions Tityrus as his poetic model due to his success in Rome. For this paper, our aim is examining how conflicted is the image of the community depicted in bucolic poetry after Vergil. We also intend to reevaluate the perception that a rural artistic decadence is outlined in these poems instead of a complex relationship between peasants and the city.