textThe Posthomerica of Quintus Smyrnaeus has been consistently labeled as inherently 'bad' and unworthy of study, in part at least due to its supposed episodic nature and careless structure; however, the poem is, in fact, very carefully organized both on its own terms and in reference to its models, the Homeric epics. In this paper, I analyze the poem in detail in order to lay out its structure and plot trajectory. The paper shows that the poem is not only a well-crafted and interesting poem that invites further study in its own right, but also a work that can shed light on the tactics and development of epic in the late antique world more generally.Classic
