Regeneration in a Fallen World

I really enjoyed reading the Formisano chapter.  I think he made some very clear connections and certainly laid out some important characteristics about the De Reditu Suo so that they were easier to notice.  We have already talked about the separation motifs of the poem, how it hearkens back to Ovid's Tristia with a feeling of exile.  And we can certainly all agree about the importance that water plays in the poem, as a technique for emphasizing the motifs of falling apart and separation.  What I really enjoyed was the part on page 28 where he talks about figures of multiplication and repetition, not only in the particular language and words chosen, but also in the constant repetition of mentionings, like the repetition of the different Lepidi or the many mentionings of Rufius.  I may be making connections that aren't relevant here, but it made me think of how Rome is repetitive in its "glory" in the sense that Rome has been knocked down before but also makes a come back, so to speak.  We have talked about how Rutilius is writing soon after the sack of Rome by Aleric.  Once again, Rome is in shambles but as she always does, she will regenerate herself into a proud city once more.  I like that the repetition of language and theme in the poem seems to always be looking back at Rome's long history of regeneration, much the way Rutilius looks back towards Rome constantly as he sails away.  It is a nice underlying tone in an otherwise "sad" poem that is in essence a poem about exile.