56 pages • 1 hour read
Petronius, Transl. Piero Chiara, Transl. P.G. WalshThe Satyricon
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult | Published in 60A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Readers only have access to fragments of the original text of The Satyricon. How does this impact the reading experience? What details or context did you particularly miss or wish you had access to? How did the experience of reading a text that has only survived in fragments compare to the experience of reading a deliberately nonlinear text, such as a postmodern novel?
A variety of female characters such as Quartilla, Tryphaena, and Circe are shown to be strongly motivated by sexual desire. What does the representation of these characters tell us about ancient Roman ideas about femininity and gender? How is the depiction of the female characters related to Petronius’s project of satire and cultural critique?
Encolpius and Giton move to different locales throughout the text, and therefore are usually viewed as strangers and outsiders to the communities they visit. How does this status impact character development and the plot events that unfold? How does the structure of following characters as they move from place to place facilitate or undermine the work of satire?
What role do religion and religious rituals play in the text? Compare and contrast the religious viewpoints of two or more different characters. Contrast the “religious rites” that Encolpius engages in in Campania and in Croton, and discuss how the depictions of these rituals reflect themes such as greed and lust.
What is the significance of Petronius including blunt and honest descriptions of bodily functions and sexual activity? Does the text defend or apologize for these inclusions? How might these elements impact the way that the text was perceived at different moments in history?
Do Giton and Encolpius genuinely love one another? How do their different statuses, context, and motivation impact the depiction of their relationship? Which of the two has more power within their relationship, and is the power dynamic consistent or variable between them?
Discuss the representation of slavery within the text. How does being a slave or a freeman impact the happiness or agency of the different characters? How do the free characters perceive the slaves, and vice versa?
To what extent is The Satyricon a comical text? Which scenes or episodes did you find funny? What does the text show about the differences between what an ancient and contemporary audience would find funny?
The novel ends abruptly, with no conclusion or resolution. What questions would you want to resolve, and what themes would you want to develop or introduce? Are there any characters or relationships that would benefit from closure? Consider these questions as you rewrite the ending.
