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What do we learn about Catullus the man from the selection of poetry we have read
Through reading the selection of poetry three parts of Catullus's consciousness are revealed. Catullus has a loving side that is fraught with torment as he cannot obtain what he desires, he is a top academic in his knowledge and also his skill in using the Latin language and last but not least is a fierce intellectual as the 'Story of Attis' shows. Overall, although he painstakingly describes and devotes many poems to Lesbia, the most important part of Catullus's psyche is the need to be remembered for his work and ideas.
Poem one, although small, is quite an important one in terms of content and meaning. It shows that Catullus, aside the jokes about his, 'novum lepidum libellum' wants people to think that his, 'nugas esse aliquid.' He seems to be a modest person, dismissing his toils as a, 'quidquid libelli quaelumque', but he has true ambitions. He wants his work to, 'maneat perenne plus uno saeclo' as they are worthy of that timelessness. Notice too, the positioning of this poem at the beginning of the book. This shows it's the first thing he wants the reader to take in, his academic aspirations and just for this reason alone his aspiration to be recognised as being a great poet and not dwindling into obscurity is very important to the man. It's content, him wanting to be ambitious and having true ideas, covered by modesty and jokes, is how the book is to be seen.
Catullus's desire for Lesbia and the fact that he can't have her are two important themes in Catullus's mind, nearly as important as his academic aspirations (he devotes nearly as much of the selection to the fact.) Poems two and three give the impression that Catullus is on the outside looking in at Lesbia. Initially in poem two, he tries to deceive the reader into thinking that he is close to her all the time but it can be argued as if he is looking and lusting after someone that he can't have. Catullus is watching Lesbia and the bird, 'cum qui ludere' from afar, hoping that, 'ut gravis ardor acquierat' he may have the courage in himself to boldly go and gain the attention of Lesbia to, 'ludere tecum ipsa sicut et levare tristis curas animi.' In poem three there is nothing that alludes to the interpretation that he and Lesbia are having any kind of relationship. The time that he was waiting for, 'gravis ardor acquierat' with the bird has come as the, 'passer est mortuus.' Catullus fills the poem with a lot of detail about the sparrow being, 'mellitus' and that he, 'norat tam bene quam puella matrem' etc., but notice that he is never personally involved in any of the detail, he is simply observing the situation and through his description, deceiving the reader. He adds to his deception that he is personally involved by over-elaborating about the sparrow's death by the, 'malae tenebrae Orci, quae devoratis omnia bella.' [next page]