Wiley Catullus: 14 (Blackwell Introductions to the Classical World)

Catullus is one of the liveliest and most appealing Roman poets. His emotion, charm, and apparent spontaneity resonate with readers as strongly today as in antiquity. This sophisticated literary and historical introduction brings Catullus to life for the modern reader and presents his poetry in all its variety of emotions, subjects, and styles. Places Catullus in a social, historical, and literary contextExamines Catallus's style and subjects, and provides a literary introduction to his major themes of love, social life, and politicsDiscusses the reception of the poems by translators and interpreters Review "Gaisser (emer., Bryn Mawr College), who has written extensively on ancient Roman poetry and Renaissance Latin literature, has produced an excellent comprehensive guide to the major Roman poet Catullus." (CHOICE, December 2009) "Such a simple and yet profound book could only have been written by someone with the authority conferred by a detailed knowledge of Catullus' work, its transmission and its reception over the ages. … I consider [it] the best existing survey on Catullus." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, December 2009) Review "An essential contribution to Catullan studies, this volume deftly introduces readers to fundamental issues: formation of the collection; the speaking voice; verbal and structural techniques; intertextuality; reception both ancient and contemporary." –Marilyn B. Skinner, University of Arizona "Gaisser speaks with authority about every aspect of Catullus’ poetry. From now on, when my students, at whatever level, ask for a single book introduction to Catullus, I will recommend this one." –Andrew Feldherr, Princeton"A panoramic introduction that--like Catullus himself--is learned, accessible and luminous, rich with insights on poetic sound and architecture, intertextuality and literary reception. Gaudete, Veneres Cupidinesque, and readers of Catullus new and old." –Judith P. Hallett, University of Maryland, College Park From the Inside Flap Catullus is one of the liveliest and most appealing Roman poets. His emotion, charm, and apparent spontaneity resonate with readers as strongly today as in antiquity. This sophisticated literary and historical introduction brings Catullus to life for the modern reader and presents his poetry in all its variety of emotions, subjects, and styles. Julia Gaisser situates Catullus in his historical context, explaining the social and sexual conventions underlying his work. She treats Catullus’s language, meters, and poetic architecture as essential elements of his poetry and shows how he has used them to achieve his poetic effects. She discusses the physical constraints and artistic possibilities of the papyrus roll, the character or persona that Catullus presents in his poetry, the ways in which his poems resonate both with each other and with earlier poetry, and the interpretations of his readers from antiquity to the present. From the Back Cover Catullus is one of the liveliest and most appealing Roman poets. His emotion, charm, and apparent spontaneity resonate with readers as strongly today as in antiquity. This sophisticated literary and historical introduction brings Catullus to life for the modern reader and presents his poetry in all its variety of emotions, subjects, and styles. Julia Gaisser situates Catullus in his historical context, explaining the social and sexual conventions underlying his work. She treats Catullus’s language, meters, and poetic architecture as essential elements of his poetry and shows how he has used them to achieve his poetic effects. She discusses the physical constraints and artistic possibilities of the papyrus roll, the character or persona that Catullus presents in his poetry, the ways in which his poems resonate both with each other and with earlier poetry, and the interpretations of his readers from antiquity to the present. About the Author Julia Haig Ga