Texts and Contexts: The Roman Writers and Their Audience

First published in 1979, Texts and Contexts identifies those classics of Roman literature which deserve to survive because of their intrinsic quality and their lasting significance. The most important of these texts are placed in the context of the tradition which each represents and which each group of texts, taken together, constitutes. Four main streams of tradition are identified: the poet as storyteller (narrative poetry and drama), the poet as teacher (didactic poetry), the poet as himself (personal poetry and the poetry of social comment), and Roman literary prose. Each major text is presented in the form of one or more passages of substantial length for analysis in detail and comparison with related works. The translations used include leading literary translations since the sixteenth century. The result is a history of Roman literature in which the emphasis is laid on the quality of the text discussed rather than on comprehensiveness of treatment, and on organic relationships rather than chronology.

This book is the result of thirty years of teaching experience by the author and his conviction that existing books on the same subject are inadequate and misleading. It will be of particular interest to students taking classical literature and translation courses, to students of English literature and anyone who is interested in literature, even without a knowledge of Latin.