Pindar und der 'Protz' Xenophon (fr. 122 M.): Von der Positionierung im politischen und im literarischen Feld

Stenger, J. (2011) Pindar und der 'Protz' Xenophon (fr. 122 M.): Von der Positionierung im politischen und im literarischen Feld. Philologus, 155(2), pp. 199-228. (doi: 10.1524/phil.2011.0014)

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Abstract

Pindar's skolion for the Olympic victor Xenophon of Corinth (fr. 122) has received considerable attention for its subject rather than its poetic quality. For it celebrates a dedication of prostitutes to Aphrodite which scholars have considered a subject inappropriate for a choral ode. So they detected traces of a tension between the poet and Xenophon within the text. In this article it is argued that, quite the reverse, Pindar is drawing a parallel between himself and the victor and his family. If we reconsider the pragmatic aspects of the skolion, its relation to Olympian 13 and the context Athenaeus provides for the fragment, we are able to see that Pindar links sport, ritual and politics, thereby serving Xenophon's ambitions as well as his own. By practising conspicuous consumption Xenophon aims at detaching himself from Corinth’s egalitarian aristocracy, and at the same time the poet promotes himself in the literary field as a poetic innovator and authority. So, both transgress expectations and boundarie

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Stenger, Professor Jan
Authors: Stenger, J.
Subjects:D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D051 Ancient History
P Language and Literature > PA Classical philology
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Classics
Journal Name:Philologus
ISSN:0031-7985

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