Clodia: A Sourcebook. By JULIA DYSON HEJDUK. Norman: University of Oklahoma 
Press, 2008. Pp. 288. Paper, $21.95. ISBN 978–0–8061–3907–4.

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A CJ Forum Online Exclusive: 2008.09.05

This book has everything about Clodia that you could possibly think of, 
which is a good thing and a bad thing, but mostly good. It is aimed at a 
wide audience, ranging from readers with little knowledge of Clodia and her 
milieu, to teachers and scholars of the period. After an introduction, the 
book is divided into two parts: I, Clodia (pp. 27–158), and II, 
Clodia’s Legacy (pp. 159–230). A thorough glossary of names, places and 
terminology follows, along with a good bibliography.

The author, Julia Dyson Hejduk (H.), begins with the question “Who was 
Clodia?”. In a rapid survey of the scholarship, she gives the history of 
the controversy and summarizes the evidence, concluding that Clodia Metelli 
was most likely the Clodia of Catullus and Cicero. Included in the 
introduction is a helpful discussion of themes in Roman love poetry 
(including and after Catullus), translation issues and some basic material 
on Roman civilization, manners and mores for the general reader.

Part I presents Clodia first in Cicero’s letters and speeches, primarily 
the pro Caelio, and then in the poems of Catullus. The material cited from 
Cicero, which includes a short introduction to the orator and his career, 
is over 70 pages. The letters, which are well-chosen and beautifully 
translated, focus on the relationship of Clodia Metelli and her infamous 
brother Clodius to Cicero in the years 62–56, and on Cicero’s attempt 
to buy property from Clodia in the year following the death of his daughter 
in 45. Each letter is prefaced by a short paragraph setting the stage and 
introducing the characters, so that the relevance to Clodia is clear. Most 
are given in full, which is one reason why this section is so long; H. 
helpfully puts Clodia’s name in boldface when she is mentioned, so the 
reader can hone in on the relevant section more easily. But although one 
may wonder why so much seemingly irrelevant information has been included, 
the overall impression is consistent with Cicero’s persona and offers 
valuable insights into his (and his correspondents’) reactions to Clodia 
and her behavior.

The second part of the Cicero section is almost entirely devoted to the pro 
Caelio. This is an important speech and is particularly relevant for people 
teaching courses in this area. It seems to me, however, that the inclusion 
of the entire speech is a bit much, given that just about half of it (41 
sections out of 80) concerns Clodia. That said, H. is right to point out 
(p. 66) that this is a “long, complex and eminently rewarding exemplar of 
Ciceronian rhetoric”; thus the presentation of the whole text can be seen 
as a plus, though many sections could be skipped by the reader who is 
primarily interested in Clodia and her relationship with Caelius. Reading 
the speech, selectively or in toto, is helped by the brief explanatory 
headings for each section; there are useful footnotes as well.

The rest of Part I is dedicated to the poems of Catullus that chronicle the 
poet’s off-and-on, up-and-down love affair with “Lesbia,” his 
pseudonym for Clodia. I found this part of the book the most satisfying, 
due in large part to the careful selection of poems, “which includes all 
the pieces specifically about Lesbia and a sampling of others [and] 
attempts to give a sense of how the poet’s odd juxtapositions and 
intratextual references enhance the meaning and richness of individual 
poems” (p. 107). H.’s translations are excellent: elegant and charming, 
rough and scurrilous, scandalous and witty. Moreover, they reflect well the 
tones of anguish and joy, delight and despair, playfulness and solemnity 
that mark Catullus’ work. The footnotes are full of pertinent information 
and valuable scholarly references, and allow the reader to understand and 
enjoy Catullus’ fascination with Lesbia/Clodia. The poems that are not 
about Clodia help fill out the portrait of Catullus (including his varying 
sexual choices) and reflect on his relationships with the other characters 
who populate the work. The most interesting of these, of course, is Rufus 
(poems 69 and 77), probably the M. Caelius Rufus of the pro Caelio.

Part II of the book is entitled “Clodia’s Legacy,” and it is here 
that some might say “enough.” In this section H. includes selected 
poems of the later elegiac Roman love poets Propertius, Tibullus and Ovid 
(Amores), along with a few pertinent epigrams of Martial, with a view to 
comparing their poetic mistresses and love affairs with those of Catullus. 
H. proposes that “[t]o understand who Clodia is, it is important to 
understand who she is not, and that can be best done by hearing the 
continuation of the conversation Catullus began” (p. xv). This is a 
provocative proposal and the addition of this section to the Sourcebook is, 
to my mind, a good thing. Referring to her earlier suggestions about the 
development of the genre (see Introduction pp. 9–15), H. demonstrates how 
the poetic dialogue has changed; the language and terminology of these 
poems is different; and the ways in which the poet relates to his mistress 
have evolved.

To summarize: Clodia: A Sourcebook is not only a full and thorough 
treatment of a famous Roman personage, a book that will be much used and 
appreciated by anyone teaching the pro Caelio and/or Catullus at any level, 
but also a stimulating study of the development of the poetic language of 
love in the late Republic and early Empire of Rome. The translations—both 
of the prose selections and the poetry—are excellent, striking the right 
tone between formality and frivolity, and the footnotes and other 
supplementary materials are very helpful. Though the book could have been 
much shorter, it would not have been so satisfying. And that is a very good 
thing.

JANE CRAWFORD 
University of Virginia


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