The Poetics of Latin Didactic: Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, Manilius

by Katharina Volk

Overview

This is a study of ancient didactic poetry, a type of literature which uses verse as the medium for teaching theoretical knowledge or practical skills. Volk combines a general discussion of didactic poetry as a genre in Greek and Latin literature with detailed interpretations of four famous Latin didactic poems by Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, and Manilius.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199245505
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/29/2002
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	8.74(w) x 5.48(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Katharina Volk is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics, Bucknell University

Table of Contents

1. Tell me, Muse: characteristics of the self-conscious poem2. Improbable art: the theory and practice of ancient didactic poetry3. The teacher's truth: Lucretius' De rerum natura4. The poet's choice: Vergil's Georgics5. The poem's success: Ovid's Ars amatoria and Remedia amoris6. The song of the stars: Manilius' AstronomicaConclusion

Editorial Reviews

"[This] is the product of a superior mind steeped in the literature, both ancient and modern, relevant to her subject. [Volk's] analyses of her four didactic poets...are clearly and elegantly written, persuasive, and sympathetic, revealing a dry but attractive sense of humour."—Greece & Rome

From the Publisher

In a revision of her dissertation (from Princeton in 1999), Volk sets out to redeem the neglected genre of didactic poetry by exploring the theory of poetics found in five such texts: Lucretius' , Virgil's , Ovid's , and , and Manilius' . A discussion of the history of the didactic genre and the essential qualities of the didactic poem precede the close reading of the five poems. Volk provides English translation of the longer passages along with the original Latin. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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