UT architectura poesis : Horace, Odes 4, and the mausoleum of Augustus

Abstract

Since Suetonius, Odes 4 has been the focus of much criticism and apology. Some explanation seems required for Odes 4’s apparent disunity and eclectic mixture of encomium with occasional pieces. My dissertation offers an interpretation of Book 4 by considering it in the light of the Mausoleum of Augustus. By considering the ways in which Horace builds evocations of the Mausoleum into book 4, I argue that there is sustained connection between the two works, which points towards a unified purpose for Odes 4: Horace is building a literary Mausoleum of Augustus. The first chapter establishes the justification for viewing Odes 4 through the lens of the material world by considering the functions of architecture and topography in Horace's models and contemporaries. After studying the ways the city of Rome is used by the Augustan poets and by Horace, the chapter concludes by making a case for understanding Odes 4 as a poetic monument. The second chapter studies the interrelationship between C.3.30 and the Mausoleum. First, I parse out a preliminary list of the Mausoleum's evocations. I then show how Horace evokes the Mausoleum in C.3.30 and recreates it in the poetic sphere. In chapter 3, I revisit Horace's autobiography and Suetonius's statements regarding the origin of Odes 4. I argue that the impetus of Odes 4 is not imperial compulsion but rather Horace's understanding of his own role as poet in the years following his selection by Augustus to compose the Carmen Saeculare. In chapter 4, I make the case for Odes 4 being a literary Mausoleum of Augustus. I first discuss the ways Horace builds his new poetic work upon the foundation of his earlier lyric successes. I then show how Horace uses the themes of time, death and the power of poetry as the brick and mortar of his literary mausoleum. I conclude by showing how Horace praises Augustus in ways that engage specifically with the Mausoleum by incorporating many of its evocations into this book.