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The Ciceronian Auto-apotheosesin Skelton's Garlande of Laurell.

The article explores John Skelton's Garlande of Laurell, showing how the Tudor poet engages with Cicero's self-praising epic tradition while simultaneously subverting it. Topics include Cicero's auto-apotheotic epics (De consulatu suo and De temporibus suis), the divine apparatus and heroic self-pre...

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Published in:Philological Quarterly Vol. 103; no. 4; pp. 305 - 317
Main Author: CARLSON, DAVID RICHARD
Format: Article
Published: Department of English, University of Iowa Fall2024
Subjects:
Skelton, John, ca. 1460-1529
Self-presentation
Ciceronianism
Conditional immortality
Fame
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article explores John Skelton's Garlande of Laurell, showing how the Tudor poet engages with Cicero's self-praising epic tradition while simultaneously subverting it. Topics include Cicero's auto-apotheotic epics (De consulatu suo and De temporibus suis), the divine apparatus and heroic self-presentation in Ciceronian poetry, Skelton's extensive self-quotation and autobibliography, and how Skelton's poem both invokes and mocks the desire for immortality and fame exemplified by Cicero.