Mythological epyllia written in the form of Virgilian centos : a model case of intertextuality

The focus of the present paper is on Virgilian centos, specifically on those that can be classified as mythological epyllia. These unique patchwork poems composed entirely of quotations from Virgil's works represent a major, homogenous, part of the extant ancient cento production, both in generic and thematic terms, and can therefore be studied as a specific chapter in the reception history of Virgil. First, contiguities between the miniature epics on mythological subjects and Virgil's poetry are considered. Second, a brief introduction to the theory of intertextuality is offered, providing a useful method for examining the response of the centos to their source. Next, the characteristic types (parallel/contrasting/neutral) and functions (intratextual/metatextual/intertextual) of the quotational allusions present in the patchwork texts under consideration are determined, and their relation to the overall imitation strategy pursued in the poems is explored. Further, the underlying principles of mythology - parallelism, analogy, causality, and aetiology - are shown to play an essential role in terms of the intertextual conception of the centos. Finally, it is proposed that the poems under discussion are to be identified as instances of pastiche and viewed as openly imitative additions to the body of Virgil's poetry.