A Companion to Latin Literature - (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) Annotated by Stephen Harrison (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Companion to Latin Literature gives an authoritative account of Latin literature from its beginnings in the third century BC through to the end of the second century AD.

• Provides expert overview of the main periods of Latin literary history, major genres, and key themes
• Covers all the major Latin works of prose and poetry, from Ennius to Augustine, including Lucretius, Cicero, Catullus, Livy, Vergil, Seneca, and Apuleius
• Includes invaluable reference material - dictionary entries on authors, chronological chart of political and literary history, and an annotated bibliography
• Serves as both a discursive literary history and a general reference book

From the Back Cover

A Companion to Latin Literature gives an authoritative account of Latin literature from its beginnings in the third century BC through to the end of the second century AD.

The volume provides the reader with a comprehensive reference for Latin literature. It includes a narrative history, an overview of all major genres, and coverage of key themes - all written by experts in their fields.

As an invaluable resource for the student, the book also includes dictionary entries on Latin authors, a chronological chart of political and literary history, and a large annotated bibliography. The volume thus combines the virtues of a discursive literary history and a general reference book.

Review Quotes

"Not least among the advantages of this format is that it challenges scholars typically working in a climate of intensive specialization to synthesize and distill their knowledge to a greater extent than is normally encouraged." (Phoenix, 2009)

"Essay after essay conveys the excitement of research into the ancient world, showing that nothing is settled, that there are always new questions and new ideas. The essays are lively and provocative, making representative use of source material and enticing readers to enter into the debate themselves. ... There is little to criticise in this volume. ... This Companion titillates the reader into thinking about Latin literature in excitingly new ways." (Scholia Reviews)

"An invaluable source of assistance and instruction for students." (Reference Reviews)

"I can warmly recommend this book, both to experts who wish to have an up-to-date account of the latest trends in the study of Latin literature and to undergraduate and graduate students who can mine this volume for suitable paper and even dissertation topics." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

About the Author

Stephen Harrison is Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures at Oxford University and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His recent publications include Apuleius: A Latin Sophist (2000), Apuleius: Rhetorical Works (ed. 2001) and Texts, Ideas and the Classics (ed. 2001).