The struggle for control of the landscape in Book 1 of Rutilius Namatianus

Abstract

The late pagan poet Rutilius Namatianus charted his journey back to his estates in Gaul in a lengthy elegiac poem De Reditu composed around A.D. 417. This paper examines Rutilius' descriptions of the various places he encounters in Book 1 of this poem, arguing that they are more metaphorical than some have recognized or considered. It will analyse the ways in which Rutilius' preoccupations with visualisation and personification convey the impression that the landscape is a living entity which is continually challenging attempts to contain it, both by the poet and other people he encounters on the voyage.