Author Description

The late-antique Roman poet Claudian has enjoyed an upsurge of interest in his work for some thirty years. In spite of increasing appreciation for his artistry, Claudian's position within the history of Latin literature has not been clearly defined. This volume presents the results of the first symposium ever devoted to Claudian and Latin literature. Well-known scholars such as Franca Ela Consolino, Manfred Fuhrmann, Siegmar Döpp, Isabella Gualandri, Jacqueline Long, and Peter Lebrecht Schmidt join several younger scholars to cast new light on the literary and cultural context of Claudian's works, on his themes and preoccupations, his aesthetics, and on the later reception of his work. The different contributions together give a sense not only of unity within the varied corpus of Claudian's poetry, which comprises political and mythological epic, epigrams, and elegies, but also of how much Claudian is representative of the major trends of his times. Finally, the book shows how far modern criticism has advanced towards an integrated understanding of Claudian's work.