The Epic and Its Critics

The Pharsalia, a work that Ahl characterizes as both "a political act as well as a political poem," captures the tumultuous era when Rome teetered on the brink of collapse under Nero's undeniable tyranny. This gripping account paints a grim tableau of Rome's demise into civil war, showcasing the overpowering dominance of a single will. Even during its creation, Lucan's incomplete epic was subject to scrutiny. In the acerbic pages of Petronius's Satyricon, another voice silenced by Nero's oppression, a character derides it as history rather than true epic because it lacks divine intervention. Furthermore, Tacitus's unfavorable depiction of Lucan in the Annales cast a long shadow, tainting perceptions of Lucan from that era to the present and clouding interpretations of his work.

Lucan's Enduring Impact

Despite not winning over all critics with his stark depictions and memorable lines, Lucan's writings have never lacked an audience. Remarkably, the sole surviving fragment of a secular poem from the years 550-750 A.D. bears the title Pharsalia. Through his vivid character portrayals of Cato, Brutus, and Marcia, Lucan provided medieval clerics and eighteenth-century revolutionaries with exemplary figures. The depiction of the witch Erictho and her dark arts left an indelible mark on the Western psyche, resonating through witch trial accounts and horror literature.

While Lucan nods to fate, his emphasis on human will as the driving force behind actions and events, rather than divine intervention, resonates more clearly with contemporary audiences. His stark vision, filled with fragmented bodies and shattered borders, holds a mirror to a century repeatedly plunged into chaos and terror.