PhD candidate for the project Anchoring Innovation in the New. The Poetae Novi and Catullus
Leiden University
Nonprofit organization, Browse similar opportunities
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Nonprofit organization, Browse similar opportunities
Vacancy number 20-422
Function type Academic staff, PhD positions
Hours (in fte) 2.0 (2 positions)
External/ internal External
Location Leiden
Placed on 24 September 2020
Closing date 24 April 2021
PhD candidate for the project Anchoring Innovation in the New. The Poetae Novi and Catullus
Supervisors
Antje Wessels (Leiden) en Annette Harder (Groningen)
More vacancies for this project can be found on the website.
Project description
At the beginning of the first century BC, a group of young energetic poets took to the literary stage in Rome: the so-called poetae novi. Catullus, the only representative whose texts have been transmitted by and large in full, presents his own collection as “new” (novus libellus); at the same time, he claims its innovative features to build on an earlier innovation, the alleged program of a Hellenistic ‘avantgarde’. In modern scholarship, it is still assumed that the poetae novi shared this agenda and that they more or less employed the same techniques. Yet, can the material we have on them actually support this view? Why was Catullus so successful, while the poems of the other poetae novi have survived as fragments? Did they just ‘fail’, and if so, why? Or did they aim at and succeed in something different?
Poets such as Calvus, Cinna, Furius Bibaculus, Varro Atacinus, exerted great influence upon the next generation of poets, such as Virgil and Propertius. At the same time, their own poetry seem not to have maintained much of a readership beyond their contemporary period. How can we describe this paradox? On the one hand, their reception of Hellenistic poetry contributed to the creation of an anchor that finally would be accepted in Roman society. On the other hand, they failed to promote their own poetry. What can this tell us about the techniques to anchor innovations and, more specifically, about the status of Hellenistic poetry in the Roman Republic and its career as an ‘anchor’ in Augustan poetry?
The poetae novi and their impact on Augustan poetry are highly understudied. While the last few decades have seen a boom in studies on Callimachus and other Hellenistic poets, the poetae novi besides Catullus have not benefitted from much re-evaluation. We know much more about the background to the poetae novi than ever before, but there is much work to be done on shedding light on the poetae novi themselves. Thus, there is an opportunity for a talented researcher to make a real impact on the field. The PhD candidate will also benefit from the knowledge and expertise shared across the wider Anchoring program, which includes other researchers working on innovation in the interactions of Roman poets with Greek literature.
The PhD candidate will study the fragments, testimonia and the early reception of the poetae novi and explore the Greco-Roman discourse in which they were involved (Hellenistic poetry, contemporary Greek literature) and to which they contributed (Late Republican, Augustan poetry). What was their background, agenda, impact and reception? How can we describe the specific processes of their reception, and are failure and success of the poetae novi related to specific techniques of anchoring their program? How do their techniques differ from the anchoring techniques employed by Catullus?
Candidates are invited to design a structured PhD proposal (title, research question, scholarly background, aims, method, corpus) around these questions. They are free to adopt a more literary or more historical perspective as they prefer. In their proposal, they should outline their suggested approach, main research question, and expected original contribution to the field.
Key responsibilities
Selection criteria
Host institution
The Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members.
The Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Research Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. LUCAS is dedicated to ground-breaking research that explores the multifaceted relationships between the arts and society. For more information see the website.
Terms and conditions
We offer a PhD position for 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week), starting date to be agreed upon, with a preference for September 1, 2021. Initially the employee will receive a one-year contract, with extension for the following 36 months on condition of a positive evaluation. It is possible to extend the position over 5 years at 0.8 FTE. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from € 2.395,- to € 3.061,- gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale for P, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.
Diversity
The Anchoring Innovation program is strongly committed to diversity within its team and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.
Information
Enquiries about the position can be addressed to Antje Wessels, email a.b.wessels@hum.leidenuniv.nl. Questions about the procedure can be directed to Suzanne van de Liefvoort, anchoring@let.ru.nl.
We deliberately scheduled a long period between this announcement and the deadline for submission so that candidates have ample time to prepare their own versions of the projects outlined above. We know that the design of a good project takes time and effort. Do not hesitate to contact your prospective supervisor about this.
More information about the Anchoring Innovation research agenda of OIKOS can be found on the OIKOS website, including an article by Ineke Sluiter, entitled “Anchoring Innovation: a Classical Research Agenda”.
Application
In order to be admissible, applications must include the following information (in the same order), in one PDF file (not zipped):
Please submit your complete application to Suzanne van de Liefvoort, the coordinator of the Anchoring-programme via anchoring@let.ru.nl no later than 24 April, 2021. Interviews will take place in the week of May 24-28, 2021. For candidates living abroad interviews may be held through an online platform.
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