Non tamen insector: your muse no more (Propertius 4.7.49–50)
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Date
2024-01-09
Authors
Paul, Joshua M.
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Citation
Paul JM. NON TAMEN INSECTOR: YOUR MUSE NO MORE (PROPERTIUS 4.7.49–50). The Classical Quarterly. Published online 2024:1-4. doi:10.1017/S0009838823000952
Abstract
This note on Propertius 4.7 argues that Cynthia, repeatedly cast in the role of the poet's Muse, rejects the burden of inspiration through a learned choice of words (non tamen insector, 4.7.49). The verb insector constitutes a clear reference to the invocation of the Camena in Livius Andronicus and of the Muse in Ennius. Cynthia recalibrates the parlance of poetic inspiration to end her relationship with Propertius, both as his puella and as his Muse.
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. This article has been published under a Read & Publish Transformative Open Access (OA) Agreement with CUP.