Petronius arbiter homericae elegantiae

This article examines the profound influence of Homeric epic on Petronius’s 'Satyricon', demonstrating how the novel is intricately structured as a parodic and antiphrastic inversion of the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'. Starting from a critique of contemporary rhetorical schools and the perceived decay of artistic taste, Petronius employs a subtle technique of contrast to reposition classical models within a "modern" narrative framework. The analysis explores how the misadventures of the protagonist Encolpio mirror those of Odysseus, transforming the heroic sea wanderings and divine persecution by Poseidon into a licentious, initiatory journey plagued by the wrath of the fertility god Priapus. By tracing programmatic parodies throughout the text -such as Trimalchio's distorted mythological accounts, the low-life echoes of Odysseus’s cantic disguise, and the encounter with the modern courtesan Circe - the study illustrates how Petronius leverages deep textual familiarity with Homer to enrich the interpretive horizons and literary magnitude of his imperial Roman novel.