LUCRETIUS, FROM ON THE NATURE OF THINGS (through the literary criticism: FEMINIST)

Lucretius, From on the Nature of Things is a short epic reading from the text that explains how Lucretius feels about the creation and constant livelihood of the universe. This epic written by Lucretius is the only surviving work of an Epicurean Roman poet. The text emphasizes how the authors’ philosophy was to emphasize tranquility and peace of mind as the primary goal of human life. The author’s culture and way of life teaches that “false beliefs – about the origins and nature of the universe and about death – and false fears about the gods are the primary sources of human anxiety”. The people, including the poet of this epic, were not atheists but they denied that their Gods has anything to do with the creation or direction of the universe, instead the Gods just lived at the edge of the universe in a state of perfect peace to which humans should aspire to achieve. Lucretius states that “the workings of the world, which most humans falsely ascribe to divine intervention, can all be explained in material terms; matter is composed of atoms, which are in a constant state of random motion, and this in itself is sufficient to explain the phenomena that we see around us”.

Looking at this text through the Feminist literary criticism point of view is very relevant and helps readers understand more of why the author of this poem, Lucretius, believed that the Gods did not create the universe but instead that it is all a matter of scientifically data, however, how he also believed that the universe stays in constant livelihood because of the Gods presence as well. According to the text from the book Lucretius believes that the goddess Venus controls every aspect of life on Earth. This Greek goddess (who is a woman) controls everything on earth with her beauty and grace. According to the text by Lucretius he believes that Venus’ presence on earth “sends up sweet flowers, the ocean laughs, and the calm skies shimmer in a bath of light, and when the gates are wide for spring and its splender and the west wind, fostering life, blows strong and free pricked in their hearts by your power, the birds of the air give the first sign, goddess, of you and your entering”. From this quote we can tell the Lucretius feels very strongly about the goddess Venus’ presence has to do a lot with keeping the universe in a stable living condition. The text also shows how the author, Lucretius, portrays women in this epic short story. Lucretius portrays Venus as a beautiful and graceful women who has this power to make mountains move, give things life, and help the universe stay in motion and grow as a whole. With her beauty and grace she can basically do anything or make anything happen because she has that power over all the creations in the universe. So looking at this text through the feminist literary criticism point of view, it helps us to understand that Lucretius sees woman as beautiful, graceful, powerful, and very self-independent women who can control everything in the universe with just their personality traits.

 Esolen, M. Anthony. “Lucretius, From on the Nature of Things.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3^rd ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. 51-56. Print.