.h "EUMOLPUS \f7DE ARTE POETICA\f6"

The interpretation of the \f7Bellum Ciuile\f6
relies as much on the remarks which preface it as on the poem itself.
If the poem stood on its own then it could be explained
as simply a way of passing the time on the long journey to Croton.
But by setting up certain expectations in a prefatory discourse on \f7ars poetica\f6,
Eumolpus invites the reader to hold the \f7Bellum Ciuile\f6 up
to perhaps more scrutiny than it can bear.
The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the degree to which
the poet adheres to the principles of his literary manifesto.
First the targets of his criticism
and the models for his \f7exemplum\f6 are identified,
then the poem is evaluated against the set of poetic precepts
set out by its author.