Tradition and Novelity in Callimachus’ Hymns

Abstract

Basing upon the second collection of Greek hymns that have been preserved, the authoress aims at showing how they evolve towards a new specific variety, i.e. hymnological study „on a subject”.

In nearly each work of the Cyrenean there remain traditional parts; owing a particular communication plane there is a relation author/formal addressee. The latter is completed by another one, author/real or virtual addressee, allowing outright revolutionary changes in the species. These two planes, as well as new alexandrine principles of Poetics, that were implemented with mastery, made the hymns of Callimachus reveal something of epyllion, encomion, idyl, paean, so that they become a separate, lyrical, epic or dramatic „play”.

A thorough analysis of six Callimachus’ hymns, with a particular emphasis put on traditional and novel elements of the species, has driven the authoress to such a plucky conclusion.