Also, consider the first book of Lucretius' On the Nature of Things as a poem. Into what genre does it fit? What are the main literary models for Lucretius, and how does the poem conceive of its relation to its literary models (see especially lines 116-126 and 922-950)? Why is poetry chosen as the appropriate medium for conveying ideas about Epicurean philosophy, and do you have a sense that there are certain advantages and disadvantages to poetry as opposed to prose for philosophy?
What kind of religious attitude is behind the poem? To answer this, we will concentrate especially on lines 82-101.