Lucretius (full name: Titus Lucretius Carus) was born about 95 BGC and died in the 50s BGC. He evidently was familiar with elite life in Rome. His only know work is De rerum natura {On the nature of things}. It apparently was known to Cicero, Virgil, and Horace. In the seventh century, Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae drew repeatedly on Lucretius concerning natural philosophy and for linguistic examples. Lucretius became prominent in later European intellectual life only after Poggio Bracciolini in 1417 recovered from obscurity an ancient manuscript of De rerum natura. The end of Book 4 of De rerum natura is an under-appreciated masterpiece of men’s sexed protest.
In the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Anchises had sex with the goddess Aphrodite, overturned divine female supremacy, and retained his vital vigor. … Read the post Anchises loving Aphrodite: progress for men in love with goddesses
With an atomic theory denying immortality, Lucretius wrongly associated penetration with destruction rather than joy and creating new life. … Read the post Lucretius’s atomic theory lacks bodily penetration & immortality
Guibert’s Monodiae of 1115 responded to De rerum natura. Guibert supported Lucretius debunking gyno-idolatry, but parodied atomism with child incineration. … Read the post gyno-idolatry and atomism in medieval reception of De rerum natura
Jonathan Swift’s poems Cassinus and Peter and Strephon and Chloe comically instruct men in the folly of courtly love. They sadly were social failures. … Read the post Swift shows social failures of men’s literature & enlightenment
Book 4 of Lucretius’ De rerum natura urges men acting as slaves of love to swerve from dream vision to seeing the bodily reality of beloved women. … Read the post men desiring women must swerve from dream vision to bodily reality