Classical Legacy of Gilbert Highet (eBook)

Robert J. Ball, professor emeritus of Classics, University of Hawaii, received his PhD from Columbia University, where he studied under Gilbert Highet. Professor Ball received an excellence in teaching award from the American Philological Association and the Regents Medal for excellence in teaching from the University of Hawaii. He has published Tibullus the Elegist: A Critical Survey (Gottingen, 1983); The Classical Papers of Gilbert Highet (New York, 1983); The Unpublished Lectures of Gilbert Highet (New York, 1998); Reading Classical Latin: A Reasonable Approach (New York, 2nd ed. 1997); and Reading Classical Latin: The Second Year (New York, 2nd ed. 1998).

". . . an engaging and laudable work on the life and scholarship of Gilbert Highet (1906-1978). . . . This assessment of him is a helpful contribution to the history of classical scholarship in America." --Sutton, Darrell, The Quarterly Review, 11.11.2021 "Robert Ball offers a splendidly wide-ranging summation-and appreciation-of the life and achievements of a major scholar professing Classics in America in the twentieth century. Gilbert Highet's readings, especially his pioneering studies of Virgil's Aeneid, of satire as a genre, of Juvenal's oeuvre in particular, and of the Latin poets in their native settings, continue to stand as models of creative criticism for the evaluation of all great writing. While detailing his rich intellectual accomplishment, Ball also adroitly captures the essence of the man himself as well as the fascinating intellectual milieux in which his career evolved." Michael C. J. Putnam, Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature, Brown University "In this readable and informative accolade-unflinchingly partial and sustained throughout-Robert Ball in the course of his biography takes on some of the discussions, debates, and diatribes that directly or tangentially accompany the mid-20th century career and times of his Columbia teacher Gilbert Highet." Richard F. Thomas, George Martin Lane Professor of Classics, Harvard University "In his heyday, Gilbert Highet was one of the most famous professors in America, renowned for his brilliantly charismatic teaching and his influential scholarship. With this meticulously researched and profoundly sympathetic study, his former pupil Robert Ball brings Highet back to life and vividly conveys an idea of what made him such a powerful presence in American academic and public life. The culture of Highet's day suddenly feels very remote, yet Ball succeeds wonderfully in showing why he mattered at the time and how his influence is still felt." Denis Feeney, Professor of Classics and Giger Professor of Latin, Princeton University "In this fascinating tribute to his former teacher, Robert Ball elucidates Gilbert Highet's legacy with the requisite gravitas and sprezzatura, combining scholarly rigour and fresh insight with a joyful lightness of touch. Paying meticulous attention to Highet's intellectual milieux and professional achievements, Ball's book is sagacious and humane, presenting a well-rounded picture of one of America's greatest twentieth-century classicists. Today, when Classics continually gets demonised by identity politics for being too full of 'Dead White Men', Highet's powerful voice is still relevant, guiding our appreciation of Classics and great literature as timeless and universal." Lindsay Johns, writer, broadcaster, and nonresidential fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University "Though I did not have the pleasure of studying with Gilbert Highet, I knew him as a legend at Columbia and an author of books on the classics. Several of his books taught me about the importance of the classical influences on English & American literature. His books whetted my appetite to know the classics. As a satirist myself, I delighted in his book on satire. I wish I could have studied with him but unfortunately, in my day, Columbia & Barnard did not make that possible. I still read his books with delight. Robert Ball's work highlights the importance of inspiring teachers." Erica Jong, novelist, poet, and essayist, whose wide-ranging oeuvre includes the Classics-inspired novel Sappho's Leap