Valued by academicians and scholars, this book holds significant literary importance and serves as a crucial knowledge resource for future generations. It has been reproduced in its original print format, preserving its authentic nature, including any marks or annotations from its first publication. This approach ensures that the book remains a lasting part of literary history.
Bryn Mawr Commentaries provide clear, concise, accurate, and consistent support for students making the transition from introductory and intermediate texts to the direct experience of ancient Greek and Latin literature. They assume that the student will know the basics of grammar and vocabulary and then provide the specific grammatical and lexical notes that a student requires to begin the task of interpretation. Hackett Publishing Company is the exclusive distributor of the Bryn Mawr Commentaries in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Dramatic Episodes of the Civil Wars. Also Known As: On the Civil War
Focusing on the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, this epic poem captures the dramatic events leading to the pivotal Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC. Written by Lucan in Latin during A.D. 61-65, it is celebrated as a masterpiece of Silver Age Latin literature. The narrative highlights Caesar's decisive victory over Pompey, showcasing themes of power, conflict, and fate. Although left unfinished at Lucan's death, the poem remains a significant historical and literary work.
The commentary focuses on the often-overlooked second book of Lucan's epic, which explores the dynamics of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. It highlights the significant roles of Cato, Caesar, and Pompey, showcasing their speeches and actions. Professor Fantham's work provides a comprehensive analysis, shedding light on the complexities of these historical figures and their interactions during this tumultuous period.
Written in the reign of Nero--the emperor against whom Lucan was implicated in a conspiracy and by whom he was compelled to commit suicide at the age of 25--the poet's dark, ambiguous, unfinished masterpiece focuses on the disintegration of the Roman body politic and the war between Julius Caesar and Pompey that ultimately lead to the end of the Roman republic. While aiming for a poem both as rugged as Lucan's--with its mix of history and fantasy, of high and low registers, of common and uncommon turns of phrase, of narrative and declamation--and as reader-friendly as possible, Brian Walters owns that he has "nowhere tried to simplify the rhetorical excesses that are the essence of Lucan's poem, the real meat and bone of the Civil War." A brilliant Introduction by W. R. Johnson discusses the poem's relationship to Nero and monarchy; its invocations of both the gods and chaos; the real hero of the Civil War; and the poem's end and narrative styles. Synopses of individual books; suggestions for further reading; a glossary of names, places, and Roman institutions; and a map are also included.
In his epic The Civil War, Lucan (39 65 CE) carries us from Caesar s fateful crossing of the Rubicon, through the Battle of Pharsalus, Pompey s death, and Cato s leadership in Africa, to Caesar victorious in Egypt. The poem is also called Pharsalia.