The Satyricon

by Petronius

Overview

The Satyricon is a classic of comedy, a superbly funny picture of Nero's Rome as seen through the eyes of Petronius, its most amorous and elegant courtier.

William Arrowsmith's translation - a lovely, modern, unexpurgated text - recatpures all the ribald humor of Petronius's picaresque satire. It tells the hilarious story of the pleasure-seeking adventures of an educated rogue, Encolpius, his handsome serving boy, Giton, and Ascyltus, who lusts after Giton - three impure pilgrims who live by their wits and other men's purses. The Satyricon unfailingly turns ever weakness of the flesh, every foible of the mind, to laughter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783986775384
Publisher:	Phoemixx Classics Ebooks
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	333
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Gaius Petronius Arbiter, original name Titus Petronius Niger, (died AD 66), reputed author of the Satyricon, a literary portrait of Roman society of the 1st century AD.Life.The most complete and the most authentic account of Petronius life appears in Tacitus Annals, an account that may be supplemented, with caution, from other sources. It is probable that Petronius correct name was Titus Petronius Niger. From his high position in Roman society, it may be assumed that he was wealthy; he belonged to a noble family and was therefore, by Roman standards, a man from whom solid achievements might have been expected. Tacitus account, however, shows that he belonged to a class of pleasure-seekers attacked by the Stoic philosopher Seneca, men who turned night into day; where others won reputation by effort, Petronius did so by idleness. On the rare occasions, however, when he was appointed to official positions, he showed himself energetic and fully equal to public responsibilities. He served as governor of the Asian province of Bithynia and later in his career, probably in AD 62 or 63, held the high office of consul, or first magistrate of Rome.The Satyricon.The Satyricon, or Satyricon liber (Book of Satyrlike Adventures), is a comic, picaresque novel that is related to several ancient literary genres. In style it ranges between the highly realistic and the self-consciously literary, and its form is episodic. It relates the wanderings and escapades of a disreputable trio of adventurers, the narrator Encolpius (Embracer), his friend Ascyltos (Scot-free), and the boy Giton (Neighbour). The surviving portions of the Satyricon (parts of Books XV and XVI) probably represent about one-tenth of the complete work, which was evidently very long. The loose narrative framework encloses a number of independent tales, a classic instance being the famous Widow of Ephesus (Satyricon, ch. 111112). Other features, however, recall the Menippean satire; these features include the mixture of prose and verse in which the work is composed; and the digressions in which the author airs his own views on various topics having no connection with the plot.

Table of Contents

Introduction v

Satyricon 1

Poems 143

From the Fragments 155

Appendices 159

Appendix 1 Before our Text Begins 161

Appendix 2 The Main Characters in the Satyricon 163

Appendix 3 Tacitus on Petronius 167

Appendix 4 Some Later Mentions of Petronius's work 169

Appendix 5 Two Earlier English Versions of the Satyricon 175

Appendix 6 Fellini-Satyricon 179

Notes 184

Editorial Reviews

[Ruden] has caught, better than any translator known to me, both the conversational patterns of Petronian dialogue and the camera-sharp specificity and color of the Satyricon's descriptive passages. . . . A quite extraordinary achievement against heavy odds. —Peter Green, The Los Angeles Times Book Review

Relying on. . . her excellent knowledge of Latin, her lively feel for contemporary slang and rhythm, and her infectious love of the work, [Ruden] gives us the full Satyricon; she shows us a man making a comic masterpiece out of Neronian chaos. . . . Her book as a whole, breathing knowledge and affection, is a delight. —Donald Lyons, The New Criterion

This is a really useful volume which can readily be recommended as a set text to students. The ten commentaries at the end are judicious overviews of important topics connected with the work and the suggestions for further reading are up-to-date and intelligent. —Susanna Morton Braund, Yale University

From the Publisher

Sounding downright jovial at times, Jonathan Keeble uses a classic aristocratic English delivery to portray Encolpius, the ex-gladiator and polished raconteur who narrates this satirical proto-novel. He leads the listener on a historically insightful, hilarious, thoroughly exotic, and erotically charged romp through a series of gay bordellos, opulent estates, detailed deviant sexual practices, and vulgar feasts in the time of Emperor Nero’s Rome. Author Gaius Petronius’s character sketches and comic dialogues can sound amazingly modern—think John Waters in a toga. SATYRICON will certainly be heard as a stinging comedy of manners, but there is also room to hear it as a 1,900-year-old “coming-out” declaration for ancient LGBTQ rights and recognition. Fascinating and anciently X-rated. B.P. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile

Sounding downright jovial at times, Jonathan Keeble uses a classic aristocratic English delivery to portray Encolpius, the ex-gladiator and polished raconteur who narrates this satirical proto-novel. He leads the listener on a historically insightful, hilarious, thoroughly exotic, and erotically charged romp through a series of gay bordellos, opulent estates, detailed deviant sexual practices, and vulgar feasts in the time of Emperor Nero’s Rome. Author Gaius Petronius’s character sketches and comic dialogues can sound amazingly modern—think John Waters in a toga. SATYRICON will certainly be heard as a stinging comedy of manners, but there is also room to hear it as a 1,900-year-old “coming-out” declaration for ancient LGBTQ rights and recognition. Fascinating and anciently X-rated. B.P. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile