“This exciting new study of Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica brings out the richness of this often underrated poem, showing its political sophistication and its importance for understanding the culture of Roman exemplarity. Anyone interested in Roman epic and its development should read this for an astute overview of the generic complexity and a balanced assessment of Valerius’ politics.”—Helen Lovatt, author of The Epic Gaze: Vision, Gender and Narrative in Ancient Epic
“Blum-Sorensen’s focus on the ambivalence of mimetic behavior allows for a middle path between optimistic and pessimistic readings of Valerius’ Argonautica. This is an original and compelling interpretation, one that enhances our understanding of Valerius’ text and the politics of Latin epic more broadly.”—Tim Stover, author of Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica
“An extraordinary, seminal, and thought-provoking work of ground-breaking and meticulous scholarship. . . . Welcome, unique, singular.”—Midwest Book Review