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Mourning the Puer Delicatus : Status Inconsistency and the Ethical Value of Fostering in Statius, Silvae 2.1
- American Journal of Philology
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 126, Number 2 (Whole Number 502), Summer 2005
- pp. 257-280
- 10.1353/ajp.2005.0028
- Article
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In Silvae 2.1, Statius laments the premature death of the libertus Glaucias, the alumnus of Atedius Melior. This paper examines Statius' response to the rhetorical difficulties posed by Glaucias' status inconsistency and the ambiguous ethical value of fostering in the literary tradition. By presenting alternative models of status, Silvae 2.1 reflects the increasing social power of freedmen and their descendants. Through its representation of Melior's atypical response to orbitas (most attested adoptive and fostering relationships occurred between individuals of similar status), the poem also reflects contemporary demographic and social concerns.