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Which later Roman poets were influenced by Catullus?
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Catullus
Catullus, bust in Sirmione, Italy.
Catullus exerted a profound influence on the writers of the Augustan Age, who frequently imitated his work, style, and metrical innovations.1
Key Roman poets influenced by Catullus include:
- Virgil: He imitated Catullus extensively, even incorporating entire lines from his work into the Aeneid.1
- Horace: While he offered criticism of Catullus, he also drew inspiration from his poetry.12
- Tibullus and Propertius: Both poets were influenced by Catullusās development of the "subjective" love elegy, in which the poet expresses his own personal passion. Propertiusās early work, in particular, reflects a strong Catullan inspiration.13
- Ovid: He followed the tradition established by his predecessors, further refining the elegiac couplet.13
- Martial: A later poet who both imitated and affectionately commemorated Catullus.1
Additionally, Catullusās contemporary and friend Licinius Calvus was a fellow member of the Neoterics, a group of poets who shared a commitment to learned, meticulous craftsmanship.2