The Eclogues and Cynegetica of Nemesianus

The Eclogues and Cynegetica of Nemesianus
Author: H.J. Williams
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004328238

Although editions of Nemesianus have been surprisingly numerous, very few have contributed appreciably to our understanding of this author, and most texts have been based on a very limited number of manuscripts. There has been no commentary of any length since that of Burman (1731) and there has never before been one in English covering the whole corpus. This book is an attempt to remedy those deficiencies. The text is the first to have been based on an examination of all the known manuscripts, and a detailed and accurate apparatus criticus is provided. The textual history of both poems is thoroughly discussed. The question of the authenticity of the Eclogues is examined and Nemesianus' authorship is held to be proved. The commentary is mainly concerned with textual and grammatical matters. There is also a bibliography.

The Life and Legacy of Constantine

The Life and Legacy of Constantine
Author: M. Shane Bjornlie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2016-07-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317025652

The transformation from the classical period to the medieval has long been associated with the rise of Christianity. This association has deeply influenced the way that modern audiences imagine the separation of the classical world from its medieval and early modern successors. The role played in this transformation by Constantine as the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire has also profoundly shaped the manner in which we frame Late Antiquity and successive periods as distinctively Christian. The modern demarcation of the post-classical period is often inseparable from the reign of Constantine. The attention given to Constantine as a liminal figure in this historical transformation is understandable. Constantine’s support of Christianity provided the religion with unprecedented public respectability and public expressions of that support opened previously unimagined channels of social, political and economic influence to Christians and non-Christians alike. The exact nature of Constantine’s involvement or intervention has been the subject of continuous and densely argued debate. Interpretations of the motives and sincerity of his conversion to Christianity have characterized, with various results, explanations of everything from the religious culture of the late Roman state to the dynamics of ecclesiastical politics. What receives less-frequent attention is the fact that our modern appreciation of Constantine as a pivotal historical figure is itself a direct result of the manner in which Constantine’s memory was constructed by the human imagination over the course of centuries. This volume offers a series of snapshots of moments in that process from the fourth to the sixteenth century.

Interpolation in Thucydides

Interpolation in Thucydides
Author: K. Maurer
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004329552

The scraps of hard evidence are carefully sifted from the putative so as to uncover the probable extent and nature of interpolation in Thucydides. This gives a coarse but firm “typology,” which may be of some use in the study of other MS traditions, and clarifies hard passages many of which are discussed in depth, so that the book's Index Locorum can be a tool for students of this author. Separate chapters examine evidence given by MS disagreement, by a long inscription, by papyri, by scholiasts, by Valla's translation and more. A chapter analyzes the types of mechanical “interpolation” another, the hypothesis of Hellenistic “editing.” Constant close attention is paid to the stemma codicum (discussed also in an appendix) and to the smallest idiosyncrasies of Thucydides' style.

Paralysin Cave

Paralysin Cave
Author: John M. McMahon
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004330968

This volume explores the literary representation of male sexual dysfunction and discusses the natural and supernatural elements of an ancient folk medical system based on conceptual associations between male sexuality and specific plants, animals and minerals. The work incorporates material from both literary and scientific sources to draw parallels between ancient and modern paradigms of healing. The literary depiction of attempts to remedy impotence demonstrates how an accessibility to cures contributes to the sexual and social reintegration of the sufferer. The Satyrica of Petronius echoes this process by means of the text itself and so effects similar ends. The book provides new insights into literature and the ancient belief systems underlying it with its original and integrative approach to disciplines such as philology, botany, mineralogy, zoology and medicine.

Lucian's Science Fiction Novel True Histories: Interpretation and Commentary

Lucian's Science Fiction Novel True Histories: Interpretation and Commentary
Author: Georgiadou
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004351507

This is the first substantial commentary on Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition. The Introduction situates the work in the context of Lucian's oeuvre, especially his preoccupation with distinguishing truth from fiction and exposing the lies of philosophers. In their commentary, the editors trace the sources and the meaning of the numerous intertextual allusions and parodies of philosophers, poets, historians and paradoxographers. The Verae Historiae emerges from this scrutiny as a remarkably complex text with some very "modern" concerns: it problematizes the act of reading, allegorical interpretation, authorial reliability, and the validity of cultural norms and literary genres.

Plato's Apology of Socrates

Plato's Apology of Socrates
Author: S.R. Slings
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004329420

There have been many recent studies on the Apology. This book differs from them in that it attempts a synthesis of philosophical and literary approaches. A great deal of attention is paid to the philosophical and religious views that are present—often implicitly—in the text; they are much closer to the philosophy of Plato's main works than is usually assumed. But the Apology is also analysed as a rhetorical text: its close relationship with fourth-century rhetorical theory and practice is highlighted. The analyses of the various parts of the speech are followed by a detailed line-by-line commentary. The work was started by E. de Strycker, S.J.; after his death, it was revised and completed by S.R. Slings.

Martial, Book IV

Martial, Book IV
Author: Rosario Moreno Soldevila
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 636
Release: 2017-07-31
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9047409892

This volume is the first comprehensive commentary on the fourth book of Martial's epigrams. The introduction discusses its date of publication, major themes (Domitian, literature, death), the arrangement and form of the epigrams, and some issues concerning the transmission of the text. Of special note is the author’s study of the structure of the book. The commentary, preceded by the Latin critical text and an English translation, aims to provide readers with as much pertinent information as possible to enable them to fully comprehend the epigrams. Attention is paid to style and literary tradition, as well as to realia. Both each individual epigram and the book as a whole are studied as finely accomplished works of art.

A Commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto

A Commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto
Author: Hout
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 743
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004351302

This is the first commentary on the letters of Marcus Cornelius Fronto (c. 90-95 - c. 167). It aims at an extensive grammatical, stylistic and historical interpretation of the letters and the ancient testimonies on Fronto. The author demonstrates where Fronto stands in Latin literature; hence the numerous quotations of parallel, similar and dissentient passages from Fronto and other writers. The letters are written in a pure, simple style, with a great deal of colloquialisms and many a post-classical turn of phrase. The many archaisms show how Fronto as a philologist had a comprehensive knowledge of pre-Cicero Latin. This commentary, based on the Teubner-edition by the author (Leipzig 1988), offers a thorough explanation of Fronto's style and language, e.g. of his archaisms and colloquialisms, identification of the persons mentioned, and the chronology of the letters. Seven elaborate indices complete this book.