Catullus

Bust of Gaius Valerius Catullus, in Sirmione

Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Roman poet who lived during The Roman Republic. His poetry moved away from the ancient Greek epics about gods and heroes to something closer to everyday life. His poetry has been and still is greatly admired thoughout the ages and influenced poets such as Ovid, Virgil and Christopher Marlowe. Unfortunately, his most famous poem nowadays is Catullus 16, which has been censored for centuries because it describes some unpleasant situations.

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Catullus provides examples of the following tropes:

• Altum Videtur
• Beige Prose: His numerous epigrams.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Catullus often moves swiftly from praising his beloved's best features to calling her a whore for her infidelity, and back again.
• Cargo Envy: In many of his poems he desires to be this or that belonging to his mistress, Lesbia. Most famously, he wants to be her passer or pet "sparrow." Though some believe it may not really be a sparrow.
• Gorn: Catullus 16
• Hidden Depths: Read Catullus 16 and then read 72.