The Greek Sources of Chenier's 'La Jeune Locrienne'.
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
It has not been recognized that the main debt of Chénier's "La Jeune Locrienne" is to Theocritus XIV. Close similarities of the language, setting, theme, and structure, plus the fact that Chénier read Theocritus in Greek and imitated him elsewhere, point to a direct, genetic influence. But the poet's several departures from his classical model end by producing a totally new poem, an example of poetic imitation of the most creative sort. Similar studies of Chénier's Greek sources offer an open field for future research.
