Poverty and Poetic Rivalry in Catullus (c. 23, 13, 16, 24, 81)

Abstract

Catullus claims that he and 'Furius' suffer from poverty. Indeed, poverty and hunger are key themes in Catullan poetry. This paper explores the provocative connections between the themes of poverty, sexual longing, and poetic creation in Catullus. The intriguing juxtaposition of poem 23 on the impoverished Furius and poem 24 on Furius' desire for Catullus' Juventius demonstrates how Catullus enacts a sexual and a literary rivalry with the poet Furius Bibaculus.