Pindar has for centuries been the least understood and appreciated of the great classical poets, for the type of composition by which he is now chiefly represent--the ode written on commission to praise a victorious athlete--does not seem to fit our notions of what a lyric poem should be. This book by D.S. Carne-Ross sets out to recover Pindar as a vital presence in the Western tradition. Through critical discussion, comparison with more familiar poets past and present, and selective translation, Carne-Ross demonstrates the craftsmanship and beauty of a Pindaric ode. The first chapter...
Pindar has for centuries been the least understood and appreciated of the great classical poets, for the type of composition by which he is now chiefl...
Most studies of the Homeric poems have been dominated by the historical and anthropological views, concentrating on their place in the oral tradition and diverting attention from the nature of the poetry itself. Paolo Vivante offers us an intense look at the Iliad and the Odyssey, focusing on the poetic treatment of story, characters, and nature. Vivante discusses Homer's sense of time, the capacity to resolve any complex event into the creative moments of its realization. Rather than narrative, Homer presents events in the making, as the story takes shape through the...
Most studies of the Homeric poems have been dominated by the historical and anthropological views, concentrating on their place in the oral tradition ...
Standing at the very beginning of European literature, the poems and verse fragments that have come down to us under Hesiod's name tap the vast reservoir of oral tradition constituting Greek wisdom about the ways of gods and men. The Theogony tells of the origins of the gods and the universe, and so of the world-order we know, while the Works and Days offers the first picture of the society and economy of archaic rural Greece. Robert Lamberton provides here an accessible introduction to these works of Hesiod. He discusses the historical background of the poems and the...
Standing at the very beginning of European literature, the poems and verse fragments that have come down to us under Hesiod's name tap the vast reserv...
Of all the poets of ancient Rome Ovid had perhaps the most influence on the art and literature of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Even today he is probably the most accessible of all classical poets to the non-specialist, both in his subject matter and in his style. Ovid is no less fascinated than we are by the human psyche and by the ways men and women relate to each other, and many of his views on these questions seem centuries ahead of his time. Ovid's interest in narrative technique is so much like ours that modern critical terms such as "reader-response" could have been coined...
Of all the poets of ancient Rome Ovid had perhaps the most influence on the art and literature of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Even today he is pr...
Among the greatest names in Roman--and European--poetry has always been that of Horace. Through all the centuries since his death in 8 B.C., his superb poetic craftsmanship has remained unassailable. Yet the full range and depth of his humanity continue to prove curiously elusive, especially for the nonspecialist reader to whom above all this book is directed. In the days when Latin was generally read, Horace was too often seen as the poet of establishments, whether the establishment involved was the imperial Roman court, the aristocracy of Augustan England, or the nineteenth-century...
Among the greatest names in Roman--and European--poetry has always been that of Horace. Through all the centuries since his death in 8 B.C., his super...
The most popular of the Roman poets, Catullus is known for the accessibility of his witty and erotic love poems. In this book Charles Martin, himself a poet, offers a deeper reading of Catullus, revealing the art and intelligence behind the seemingly spontaneous verse. Martin considers Catullus's life, habits of composition, and the circumstances in which he worked. He places him among the modernists of his age, who created a new ironic and subjective poetics, and he shows the affinity between Catullus and the modernists of our own age. Martin offers original interpretations of Catullus's...
The most popular of the Roman poets, Catullus is known for the accessibility of his witty and erotic love poems. In this book Charles Martin, himself ...
Herodotus, widely known as the father of history, was not only a historian but also a master story-teller, argues the author of this insightful book. James Romm gives general readers a fresh appreciation of the Histories and shows that Herodotus was more than a source of historical data-he was a masterful and artistic author who created a radically new literary genre.
Herodotus, widely known as the father of history, was not only a historian but also a master story-teller, argues the author of this insightful book. ...
Written around the year 100, Plutarch's Lives have shaped perceptions of the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks and Romans for nearly two thousand years. This engaging and stimulating book introduces both general readers and students to Plutarch's own life and work. Robert Lamberton sketches the cultural context in which Plutarch worked-Greece under Roman rule-and discusses his family relationships, background, education, and political career. There are two sides to Plutarch: the most widely read source on Greek and Roman history and the educator whose philosophical and pedagogical...
Written around the year 100, Plutarch's Lives have shaped perceptions of the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks and Romans for nearly two thousand ...
This book traces the development of Coleridge's philosophy of language, situating it in the intellectual climate of his era. James C. McKusick offers the persuasive and original argument that Coleridge's linguistic theories for a coherent body of thought underlying his poetry, criticism, and aesthetics.
This book traces the development of Coleridge's philosophy of language, situating it in the intellectual climate of his era. James C. McKusick offers ...
Virgil is Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC - 19 BC), classical Roman poet, author of Aeneid, Eclogues, and Georgics. Biographical and historical study includes analyses of his works and his profound influence on Medieval writers, including Dante. Slavitt provides new translations of Georgics and Eclogues. Hermes series on classical authors.
Virgil is Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC - 19 BC), classical Roman poet, author of Aeneid, Eclogues, and Georgics. Biographical and historical study in...