By this time, you've probably already heard that the theme of our book is Catullus's poetry being split into two major recurring themes: love and hate. His honest style of poetry truthfully depicts the ever-changing feelings inside a person's heart: often having bitter outbreaks of hate, experiences of passionate love, and moments of utter confusion between the two. It is the poetry of a man whose girlfriend cheated on him with many men, and who wished to attain a higher level of wealth though his primary occupation was poet. It is the poetry of a man who was rejected for his informality as a poet, and disgraced by his lust for both women and men. It is poetry of insecurity, jealousy, vengeance, egotism, and whole-hearted devotion.
When Catullus wrote poetry, he did not try to hide any part of his feelings. He does not mind telling readers of his embarrassments, his anger, or his anxiety.
When Catullus wrote poetry, he did not try to hide any part of his feelings. He does not mind telling readers of his embarrassments, his anger, or his anxiety.
So I guess the question is: if Catullus was so complex, why only love and hate? Because love and hate are the building blocks of relationships, and in real relationships, there's no such thing as apathy; in real life, there's no room for the colorful fluff that Cicero, Horace or Ovid would be so keen to base their poetry around.
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