Poetry, philosophy, and adaptibility in Horace's 'Epistles'

My thesis argues that adaptability and the mean are the central ethical lessons of Horace's Epistles 1, and that this adaptability is reflected in Horace's approach to philosophy, friendship, and poetry. This adaptability allows Horace to accommodate his seemingly contradictory attitudes toward public and private life.;In Chapter One, I focus on Epist. 1.1 and look in particular at the poet's turn to ethical study. He presents himself as undergoing a mental or spiritual crisis and hopes to find a cure in an eclectic and adaptable study of philosophy. This 'illness' is caused by a deep ambivalence about his friendship with Maecenas and his role as a public poet. He thus withdraws from the public sphere and Maecenas. Aristippus emerges as a model for philosophical adaptability.;Chapter Two examines Epist. 1.2, where Horace, through his language and imagery, clearly favors poetry over philosophy as a moral guide. Odysseus, in 1.2.17-31, defies philosophical categorization and exemplifies adaptability and the mean.;In Chapter Three, I treat Epist. 1.17 and 1.18 as a pair, showing how Horace applies adaptability and the mean to friendship. Adaptability is exemplified by Aristippus in 1.17, and in 1.18 it is formulated as a mean between servility and excessive libertas.;Chapter Four shows how Horace adopts adaptability in his friendship with Maecenas through this middle ground, and the Sabine Farm in 1.7 will symbolize this medium. 1.7 is the first indication that Horace foresees returning to his public role, but this return is nevertheless postponed.;Chapter Five examines how Horace connects adaptability and the mean to poetry in 1.3 and 1.19. In 1.3 Florus' adherence to the mean in imitation is undercut by his inability to compromise in friendship. In 1.19, Horace's earlier poetry, formerly a source of enslavement, is revealed as an embodiment of poetic freedom.;In 1.20 (the conclusion), I consider how Horace compares his Epistles to a slave and prostitute, showing that compromise is necessary for one who has social ambition.;Adaptability is the means by which Horace can participate in philosophy, poetry, and friendship without losing his independence.