A Roman Verse Satire Reader: Selections from Lucilius, Horace, Persius, and Juvenal

Catherine Keane

Mar 2010 · Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

About this ebook

The trademark exuberance of Lucilius, gentleness of Horace, abrasiveness of Persius, and vehemence of Juvenal are the diverse satiric styles on display in this Reader. Witnesses to the spectacular growth of Rome's political and military power, the expansion and diversification of its society, and the evolution of a wide spectrum of its literary genres, satirists provide an unparalleled window into Roman culture: from trials of the urban poor to the smarmy practices of legacy hunters, from musings on satire and the satirist to gruesome scenes from a gladiatorial contest, from a definition of virtue to the scandalous sexual display of wayward women. Provocative and entertaining, challenging and yet accessible, Roman verse satire is a motley dish stuffed to its readers' delights.

About the author

Catherine C. Keane is Associate Professor of Classics at Washington University in St. Louis, where she has taught both undergraduate and graduate students since 2001. She holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on Roman verse satire, especially its generic theory and its connections with other ancient literature and cultural institutions. She is the author of figuring Genre in Roman Satire (Oxford University Press, 2006) and of numerous articles and essays on the Roman satiric poets. Her works in progress include a book a Juvenal.