A Companion to Latin Literature (eBook)

Stephen Harrison is Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures at Oxford University and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His recent publications include Apuleius: A Latin Sophist (2000), Apuleius: Rhetorical Works (ed. 2001) and Texts, Ideas and the Classics (ed. 2001).

List of Figures viii

Chronological Table ix

Notes on Contributors xii

Preface xvi

Reference Works: Abbreviations xvii

Introduction: Constructing Latin Literature 1

Stephen Harrison

PART I PERIODS 13

1 The Early Republic: the Beginnings to 90 BC 15

Sander M. Goldberg

2 The Late Republican/Triumviral Period: 90-40 BC 31

D. S. Levene

3 The Augustan Period: 40 BC-AD 14 44

Joseph Farrell

4 The Early Empire: AD 14-68 58

Roland Mayer

5 The High Empire: AD 69-200 69

Bruce Gibson

PART II GENRES 81

6 Narrative Epic 83

Philip Hardie

7 Didactic Epic 101

Monica Gale

8 Roman Tragedy 116

Elaine Fantham

9 Comedy, Atellane Farce and Mime 130

Costas Panayotakis

10 Pastoral 148

Stephen Heyworth

11 Love Elegy 159

Roy Gibson

12 Satire 174

Llewelyn Morgan

13 Lyric and Iambic 189

Stephen Harrison

14 Epigram 201

Lindsay C. Watson

15 The Novel 213

Stephen Harrison

16 Dialogues and Treatises 223

J. G. F. Powell

17 Historiography and Biography 241

Christina Shuttleworth Kraus

18 Oratory 257

D. H. Berry

19 Epistolography 270

Catharine Edwards

PART III THEMES 285

20 Decline and Nostalgia 287

Stephen Harrison

21 Art and Text 300

Jas´ Elsner

22 The Passions 319

Robert A. Kaster

23 Sex and Gender 331

A. M. Keith

24 Friendship and Patronage 345

David Konstan

25 Romans and Others 360

Yasmin Syed

26 Marriage and Family 372

Susan Treggiari

27 Slavery and Class 385

Thomas Habinek

28 Centre and Periphery 394

Alessandro Barchiesi

Bibliography 406

Index 444

"Not least among the advantages of this format is that it
challenges scholars typically working in a climate of intensive
specialization to synthesize and distill their knowledge to a
greater extent than is normally encouraged." (Phoenix,
2009)



"Essay after essay conveys the excitement of research into the
ancient world, showing that nothing is settled, that there are
always new questions and new ideas. The essays are lively and
provocative, making representative use of source material and
enticing readers to enter into the debate themselves. ... There is
little to criticise in this volume. ... This Companion
titillates the reader into thinking about Latin literature in
excitingly new ways." (Scholia Reviews)

"An invaluable source of assistance and instruction for
students." (Reference Reviews)

"I can warmly recommend this book, both to experts who wish to
have an up-to-date account of the latest trends in the study of
Latin literature and to undergraduate and graduate students who can
mine this volume for suitable paper and even dissertation topics."
(Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

"Essay after essay conveys the excitement of research into the
ancient world, showing that nothing is settled, that there are
always new questions and new ideas. The essays are lively and
provocative, making representative use of source material and
enticing readers to enter into the debate themselves ... There is
little to criticise in this volume ... This 'Companion'
titillates the reader into thinking about Latin literature in
excitingly new ways." Scholia Reviews

"An invaluable source of assistance and instruction for
students." Reference Reviews

"I can warmly recommend this book, both to experts who wish to
have an up-to-date account of the latest trends in the study of
Latin literature and to undergraduate and graduate students who can
mine this volume for suitable paper and even dissertation topics."
Bryn Mawr Classical Review