Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron Poochigian
Ovid is more influential because he is easier. Those of us with better Latin, with more discerning, with--dare I say?--better taste recognize that Propertius' Elegies beat Ovid's in every category.
Here is a little equation entitled "Andrew S. is wrong":
Passion + Craft = Sublimity.
Wit + Craft = Cleverness.
Sublimity > Cleverness
Oh! You just got burned, dude!
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Ah, yes, notable dunces all, whose simplicity led to such uncomplicated outpourings of verse. I also forgot that greater difficulty means something is better. Let's try out this Poochigian logic: Pounds
Cantos are harder than Shakespeare: ergo, Pound is greater than Shakespeare!
Passion, shmassion. It's a phony put-on that Ovid saw right through. Propertius' passion poems border on maudlin; then poor sap died just when he started to push off in new directions.
Ovid has emotions; Ovid has insight; he lacks this "passion" that I'd suggest all poetry necessarily lacks in an authentic way.
Ovid beats Propertius in my eyes because he looks at the world as it is, and toys with it. Give me that poetry every day. And judge him--and my position--by the company he keeps, simpletons though we are.