This revised dissertation is a learned and pioneering study of the cult images of gods as a means of communication in Augustan poetry. Are the poets of the Augustan age able to exploit cult images for propaganda purposes? In her book, Jessica Schrader deals with three cases: the representation of the god Priapus in Horace, Sat. 1.8 and Tibullus 1.4, and the figure of the god Vertumnus in Propertius 4.2. According to the author, these three Augustan texts represent a very peculiar case in the history of Latin literature. In these three texts, there is not a simple representation or description of the gods, but rather the gods themselves are embodied by their cult statues.

The present book is divided into seven chapters, including the Introduction, where S. clarifies that the speaking statues of the gods represent a well-known literary topos in poetry. The aim of this study is to start a new field of research in Classical philology. Starting from the historical and religious studies of Jörg Rüpke, the director of the series in which this work is published, the practice of worship and its communicative function receive adequate attention. The view proposed is that the images of worship are a means of communication between men and gods, for example in a strong symbol such as prayer. The opening chapter explains the general content of the work and above all it traces the history of the studies on the topic.

S. emphasises several times in the book, especially in the Introduction, the main reason why the study of this topic is significant: incorporating cult images into a literary context has only been the object of critical attention for a few years, and this study proposes to fill this gap in Latin philology. For instance, she explains how recent research on Tibullus’ Priapus has tried to approach the analysis of the text in a new way, namely through narratology. The god and his speech are considered unreliable and give the text a programmatic function, which relates to the content of Priapus’ love instructions and central points of Book 1 of Tibullus’ elegies more generally, such as attraction towards young boys and the role of bisexuality. Priapus assumes a humorous and undignified role, taking up the solemn pose of praeceptor amoris. Regarding Horace's Satire 1.8, the speaking figwood statue of Priapus is interpreted as a mask or role, an enduring model for Roman satirists, with a strong territorial sense and a mix of swagger and insecurity, including threats of rape against old women and pathics. Regarding Propertius, S. surveys several poetological approaches. The poetic function is assigned to elegy on account of the new programme of Book 4 and the emphasised qualities of the god: his changeability and polarity. More precisely, the speaking bronze statue of Vertumnus is an allegory of the evolution and the new features of Book 4. It can be assumed that cult images, as in these three examples, when made expressive in Augustan poetry could fulfill an instrumentalised programmatic function.

However, this book does not confine itself only to examining all three texts in a poetological way and determining the programmatic function of each individual cult image. In chs 3, 4 and 5, through a strong analysis of the texts and a synoptic comparison of all three talking cult statues, S. seeks to answer the following questions: Which literary techniques are used to assign a programmatic function to cult images? Can the literary instrumentalisation of the subject, the ‘speaking statues’, despite the different genres, establish similarities (narrative mechanisms and techniques) that are common to all three cult images, or do the various genre influences become visible? The author has interesting and stimulating things to say, especially in ch. 2: the brief presentation of the evolution of the literary genre of epigram, from real inscriptions in the eighth century b.c. to the Hellenistic literary genre, is intended to explain why this genre was suitable for the realisation of the motif of the ‘speaking statues’. A brief glimpse into the oeuvre of the Hellenistic poet Callimachus, whose work has a special affinity for statues of gods and cult images, proves that this literary motif is not limited to the genre of epigram, but is also found in his Aitia and Iambs.

Unfortunately, there are some gaps in the bibliography, such as the recent exhaustive commentaries on Book 4 of Propertius by Fedeli–Dimundo–Ciccarelli and Éric Coutelle. I have only noticed one typo in the text: consiliatio oppositorum in place of conciliatio oppositorum (111).

To conclude, this is an admirable and lucid study. Through a careful interpretation and synoptic comparison between the texts, S. investigates the importance of the communicative and practical dimension of Roman cult and especially the poetological function of the three cult images (in this case statues), showing the duality between religious and literary communication.