Tragic and Paratragic Elements in Longus’ Daphnis and Chloe

Regarding the influence of theatrical genres on the Pastoralia of Longus, criticism mainly focused on the numerous and evident elements of contact with New Comedy. However, in the merging of literary genres that the cultured and refined text of this novel presupposes, also tragic models receive significant importance, often in contexts in which the characters mourn the loss of something precious. In most cases, it is a question of generic reuse of expressive forms or motifs borrowed from the tragic genre: sometimes, specific hypotexts are read in filigree, especially Sophoclean. The analysis of the steps involved in this phenomenon highlights Longus’ adoption of paratragic mechanisms in various aspects similar to the ways in which comedy writers relate to the ‘high’ genres.