Aeneid

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In Purgatorio XXI, Statius indicates the Aeneid as the source that nourished him and that lies at the origin of his writing, defining it as the «mamma» of his poetry. The authorized commentary on verses 94-6 clarifies that Statius thereby adds an essential element of his moral life, acknowledging that the Aeneid had a determining influence on his art. The notes further specify that the Virgilian poem is in twelve books, like the Thebaid, another work of Statius recalled here, and is the matrix from which his work depends. The mention occurs during the dialogue between Statius and Dante in Purgatorio, in which the Latin poet recalls the stages of his own life and of his literary inspiration.