Influenced by the Greek Hellenistic poets, the Neoterics rejected traditional social and literary norms. Their poetry is characterized by tight construction, a playful use of genre, punning, and complex allusions. The most significant surviving Neoteric works are those of Catullus. His poetry exemplifies the elegant vocabulary, meter, and soundall of which the Neoterics soughtwhile balancing those elements with the equally important allusive characteristic of the Neoteric style.
