A Guide to Latin Elegy and Lyric

A Guide to Latin Elegy and Lyric provides an accessible introduction to Latin poetry, exploring the language and socio-cultural context of the Augustan Age. It covers key figures, themes, and critical approaches, with full translations and helpful resources for students and scholars.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 22 July 2021
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

A comprehensive guide to Latin elegy and lyric, designed for novice and experienced Classics and Latin students alike, delves into the rich language of Latin poetry and its socio-cultural context during the remarkable period of Roman literary history. With an innovative approach to classical scholarship, the authors treat elegy and lyric as interconnected genres, exploring various topics such as the Hellenistic influences on Augustan poetry, the key figures who shaped the elegiac tradition in Rome, the motifs of militia amoris (the warfare of love) and servitium amoris (the slavery of love) in Latin love elegy, and more.

Organized into ten chapters, the book begins with an introduction to the literary, political, and social contexts of the Augustan Age. The subsequent six chapters focus on individual lyric and elegiac poets, including Catullus, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, and Sulpicia. These chapters are followed by a survey of several lesser-known poets and post-Augustan elegy and lyric. The text concludes with a discussion of major tropes and themes in Latin elegy and lyric, as well as an overview and analysis of key critical approaches in current scholarship.

This comprehensive volume offers numerous valuable features:

Full translations alongside the Latin throughout the text to illustrate discussions

Analyzes recurring themes and tropes found in Latin poetry, including sexuality and gender, politics and patronage, myth and religion, wealth and poverty, empire, madness, magic, and witchcraft

Reviews modern critical approaches to elegiac and lyric poetry, including autobiographical realism, psychoanalysis, narratology, reception, and decolonization

Includes helpful introductory sections, such as "How to Read a Latin Elegiac or Lyric Poem" and "How to Use This Guide," to assist readers in navigating the complexities of Latin poetry

By providing a comprehensive and accessible introduction to Latin elegy and lyric, this guide aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of this important genre of classical literature. Whether you are a student of Classics or Latin, or simply a lover of poetry, this book will be an invaluable resource for your exploration of the rich and complex world of Latin elegy and lyric.

Weight: 249g
Dimension: 226 x 152 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781119227083