Elaine Fantham Boeken

Focusing on Seneca's "Troades," Elaine Fantham presents a new Latin text alongside an English translation, accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and critical commentary. She argues that the play was not meant for performance, reflecting the political and poetic decline in Rome during its creation. Fantham explores Seneca's experiences with tyranny and corruption, while also highlighting his admiration for Augustan poets, showcasing the originality in his imitative style. This work offers a fresh perspective on Seneca's literary contributions and historical context.

This introduction considers how Ovid defined and shaped his narrative 'Metamorphoses', its cultural context, and its vivid depictions of the cruelty of jealous gods, the pathos of human love, and the imaginative fantasy of flight, monsters, magic, and illusion.

A wide introduction to Cicero's political and cultural world, illustrating, by its analysis of his imaginary dialogue between statesmen, how he introduced the principles of Greek philosophy and rhetoric into Roman education, so that his work became the basis of humanist ideals in the Renaissance and Enlightenment.

Exploring the interplay between literature and religion, this work examines how Roman poets of the late republic and Augustan age engaged with the rural cults of central Italy. It delves into the cultural and spiritual significance of these deities, revealing the poets' reflections on identity, tradition, and the natural world. Through this lens, the book highlights the poets' contributions to the understanding of Italian mythology and their influence on Roman cultural identity.

This volume presents closely connected articles by Elaine Fantham, which deal with Roman responses to Greek literature on three major subjects: the history and criticism of Latin poetry and rhetoric, women in Roman life and dramatic poetry and the poetic representation of children in relation to their mothers and teachers. The volume opens with papers on Roman comedy: Menaechmi, Trinummus, Hautontimorumenos, papers on women of the demimonde in Truculentus and Eunuchus, Cistellaria and Poenulus. The second part deals with rhetoric, including the subject of imitation as a stylistic feature, the study of performance comparing oratory and comedy and of declamation. Papers on Ovid's Fasti include a study of failed rape-scenes and papers concerned with women's cults. The last part (Senecan tragedy, Lucan, Statius) focuses on Lucan's Civil War and his treatment of Caesar as well as Statius' Thebaid and Achilleid.

Diese Sozialgeschichte der klassischen römischen Literatur setzt Standards für alle herkömmlichen Literaturgeschichten. Wer waren die Leserinnen und Leser? Welche Bildung hatten sie und wie kamen sie an die Bücher? Unter welchen Bedingungen und nach welchen Vorbildern wurde Literatur produziert? Die Autorin vermittelt Hintergrundwissen zur Lektüre der lateinischen Klassiker.