Richard F. Thomas is a distinguished classicist whose work delves into the rich history and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. His scholarship explores philological, narratological, and reception-theory approaches, with a particular focus on Virgil. Thomas investigates how classical works have evolved and been received across centuries, revealing their enduring influence. His authority in the field is evident through his extensive publications and his engagement with leading academic institutions and publishing houses.
The book explores the ideological interpretations of Virgil's work over two millennia, highlighting the complex relationship between his poetry and Emperor Augustus. It analyzes ancient poets and grammarians' varied perspectives, Dryden's Royalist translation, and American interpretations. The study also critiques nineteenth-century philology's alterations and examines readings influenced by fascism and National Socialism. Ultimately, it reveals how different eras have shaped the Aeneid to align with their optimistic views of Virgil.
'At last an expert classicist gets to grips with Bob Dylan' Mary Beard When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, the literary world was up in arms. How could the world's most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter in his Seventies, who wouldn't even deign to make a victory speech? In Why Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers that question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil and Ovid. Dylan's Nobel prize win brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the limelight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomas's famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the rock n' roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. The most dazzlingly original and compelling Dylan book in decades, Why Dylan Matters will amaze and astound everyone from the first-time listener to the lifetime fan. You'll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.
A basic guide for college students and any beginners using the software application package Microsoft Works. Specific topics are dealt with in a series of lessons, which build on each other and are accompanied by tests and exercises.
