From A.D. 395 to 404, Claudian was the court poet of the Western
Roman Empire, ruled by Honorius. In 399 the eunuch Eutropius, the
grand chamberlain and power behind the Eastern Roman throne of
Honorius's brother Arcadius, became consul. The poem
In
Eutropium is Claudian's brilliantly nasty response. In it he
vilifies Eutropius and calls on Honorius's general, Stilicho, to
redeem this disgrace to Roman honor. In this literary and
historical study, Jacqueline Long argues that the poem was, in both
intent and effect, political propaganda: Claudian exploited
traditional prejudices against eunuchs to make Eutropius appear
ludicrously alien to the ideals of Roman greatness. Long sets
In
Eutropium within the context of Greek and Roman political
vituperation and satire from the classical to the late antique
period. In addition, she demonstrates that the poem is an
invaluable, if biased, source of historical information about
Eutropius's career. Her analysis draws on modern propaganda theory
and on reader response theory, thereby bringing a fresh perspective
to the political implications of Claudian's work.
Originally published in 1996.
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