A ogni canto il suo tempo. Temporalità e mimesi nelle Silvae di Stazio

Abstract

The article deals with the very unusual use of time and temporality in Statius' Silvae. Starting from discussing the importance of the Ovidian model for Statius in his ability to practice different poetic genres, a specific span of time being assigned to each of them, the essay focuses on the mimetic character shown by many poems of the collection. This illusion of ultimate contingency highlights the poet's skilful recording of the occasion while betraying the aim to eternalize the event through that same recording: the poet is thus accredited with a fundamental role of mediation between the ephemeral nature of the single καιρός and its everlasting poetic celebration.