A Companion to Persius and Juvenal breaks new ground in its in-depth focus on both authors as “satiric successors”; detailed individual contributions suggest original perspectives on their work, and provide an in-depth exploration of Persius’ and Juvenal’s afterlives.
Provides detailed and up-to-date guidance on the texts and contexts of Persius and Juvenal
Offers substantial discussion of the reception of both authors, reflecting some of the most innovative work being done in contemporary Classics
Contains a thorough exploration of Persius’ and Juvenal’s afterlives
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Braund and Osgood’s A Companion to Persius and Juvenalis an excellent book. Specialists, non-specialists, and students alike will find in this volume a comprehensive and spacious approach to these challenging poets.” (Phoenix, 1 May 2014)
“The whole book can be recommended, but I will single out a few chapters as especially interesting. . . In general, this is a useful book and a good first port-of-call for those new to the subjects.” (Religious Studies Review, 1 December 2013)
“This dense volume makes a stimulating contribution to the study of imperial Latin satire.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 1 October 2013)
“Graced with a 40-page bibliography, this 600-page work should become indispensable to classical scholars and anyone interested in satire. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates and above.” (Choice, 1 July 2013)
From the Inside Flap
Satire, written in the verse of heroic epic but focused on the evils of contemporary society, was ancient Rome’s original contribution to world literature. Two great practitioners of this art, Persius and Juvenal, wrote under the early emperors. Inspired by their Republican predecessors, both radically reinvented the genre.
The companion breaks new ground by examining both authors as “satiric successors,” using a model that has been successfully applied to other imperial writers, particularly epic poets. Detailed individual contributions examine topics such as the satirists’ techniques of allusion, their relationship to other genres, and their political stance. A preliminary section orients readers to the lives and times of these authors, the transmission of their texts, ancient scholarship on them, and their sometimes challenging language. The volume includes an examination of the successors to Persius and Juvenal, including the dramatic revival of the tradition in the Renaissance. An outstanding feature of this book is an in-depth exploration of Persius and Juvenal’s afterlives as found in the work of modern poets and translators, in scholarship and school texts, and in the present-day mass media.
From the Back Cover
Satire, written in the verse of heroic epic but focused on the evils of contemporary society, was ancient Rome’s original contribution to world literature. Two great practitioners of this art, Persius and Juvenal, wrote under the early emperors. Inspired by their Republican predecessors, both radically reinvented the genre.
The companion breaks new ground by examining both authors as “satiric successors,” using a model that has been successfully applied to other imperial writers, particularly epic poets. Detailed individual contributions examine topics such as the satirists’ techniques of allusion, their relationship to other genres, and their political stance. A preliminary section orients readers to the lives and times of these authors, the transmission of their texts, ancient scholarship on them, and their sometimes challenging language. The volume includes an examination of the successors to Persius and Juvenal, including the dramatic revival of the tradition in the Renaissance. An outstanding feature of this book is an in-depth exploration of Persius and Juvenal’s afterlives as found in the work of modern poets and translators, in scholarship and school texts, and in the present-day mass media.
About the Author
Susanna Braund is Professor of Latin Poetry and its Reception at the University of British Columbia. She is the author of Latin Literature (2002), a major edition of Seneca’s De Clementia (2009), and translator of A Lucan Reader. Selections from Civil War (2009).
Josiah Osgood is Professor of Classics at Georgetown University. He is author of Caesar’s Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire (2006), Claudius Caesar: Image and Power in the Early Roman Empire (2011), and A Suetonius Reader (2011).
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