Aurelius Prudentius, Psychomachia [Soul War]

Thomas Tsartsidis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 400

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Allegory
Poetry (any)

Resources

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Recommended Reading

The allegorical epic

Psychomachia

[The Soul’s Battle] is the most influential work of the Christian poet Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348-after 404/5 CE) and the first full-scale personification allegory in the history of European literature. It is written in 914 hexameters and is preceded by a 68-line preface (

Praefatio

) in iambic trimeter.

In the Praefatio, Prudentius first depicts Abraham as a model of faith (1-14) and, then, relates the story of Abraham’s rescue of Lot, his meeting with Melchizedek, his being visited by three angels and the conception of Isaac by the elderly Sara (15-49), before rounding off his preface by ascribing to the story of Abraham an allegorical meaning that resonates with the reader’s situation (50-68).

In the

Praefatio

, Prudentius first depicts Abraham…

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2880 words

Citation: Tsartsidis, Thomas. "Psychomachia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 March 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=31706, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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