
This book gathers together some of the most important and influential scholarly articles of the last sixty to seventy years (three of which are translated into English here for the first time) on the Roman poet Lucretius. Lucretius' philosophical epic, the De Rerum Natura or On the Nature of the Universe (c.55 BC), seeks to convince its reader of the validity of the rationalist theories of the Hellenistic thinker Epicurus. The articles collected in this volume explore Lucretius' poetic and argumentative technique from a variety of perspectives, and also consider the poem in relation to its philosophical and literary milieux, and to the values and ideology of contemporary Roman society. All quotations in Latin or Greek are translated.
*This volume investigates the complex interplay between Lucretius' philosophical objectives in De Rerum Natura and his specific poetic techniques.* Monica R. Gale, a scholar of classical literature, compiles a selection of influential academic articles spanning seven decades to provide a comprehensive analysis of how Lucretius adapted Epicurean rationalism into a didactic epic format. The collection argues that the poem must be understood through the dual lenses of its Hellenistic philosophical roots and the specific socio-political climate of the Roman Republic.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts identify this collection as a foundational resource for students and researchers of Latin literature and ancient philosophy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a rigorous survey of twentieth-century classical scholarship.
Page Count:
400
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191531987
ISBN-13:
9780191531989
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