THE STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF THE LANDSCAPE IN BOOK 1 OF RUTILIUS NAMATIANUS1

Clarke examines the various means by which--and the different levels upon which--Rutilius conveys the struggle to contain and control an environment which is so delicately balanced that ruin and recovery are equally possible. She focuses upon his representations of different places and analyze the ways in which Rutilius's preoccupation with visualization and personification help to convey the impression that the landscape is a living entity which is continually challenging the poet's attempts to contain it. Also, she examines his representations of various groups and individuals within this landscape and show how there is both a struggle in people's attempts to come to terms with the changed environment and competition between individuals over the depleted resources which the land can now offer.