Aeneis 6.460: Vergils Abschied von der alexandrinisch-neoterischen Dichtung

The difference between the stylistic register of Aeneid 6, 460 and its main intertextual model, Catullus 66 (a translation of Callimachus’ Coma Berenices), is often seen as problematic. This article proposes a metapoetical interpretation of this passage. Building on earlier studies investigating the link between the figure of Aeneas and Vergil, the author interprets Aeneas’ departure from Dido on a metapoetical level as Vergil’s departure from small-scale Hellenistic poetry. This interpretation would shed more light on the use of Catullus and Callimachus as intertextual models.