Horace : poetics and politics / V.G. Kiernan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kiernan, V. G. (Victor Gordon), 1913-2009.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horace--Political and social views.

Horace.

Political and social views.

Rome--History--Augustus, 30 B.C.-14 A.D--Biography.

Rome.

Political poetry, Latin--History and criticism.

Political poetry, Latin.

Politics and literature--Rome--History.

Politics and literature.

Manners and customs in literature.

Licenza (Italy)--In literature.

Licenza (Italy).

Poets, Latin--Biography.

Poets, Latin.

Horace--Knowledge and learning--Rome.

Physical Description:

xi, 204 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, [1999]

Summary:

Today, more is known about the life and work of the great Latin poet Horace than any other writer of antiquity. In this new study of Horace, one of the formative influences on modern European literature, renowned historian V.G. Kiernan examines the distinctive personality and poetry of the poet as well as the economic and social conditions of the Italy in which he lived. Kiernan begins with a background survey of Rome and its rise to supremacy in Italy and shows how Horace -- the son of a former slave -- rose from humble beginnings to become a valued supporter of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, whose power he had once resisted. Kiernan reveals how a time of rapid change and civil war contributed to the work of Horace and how many of the divisions and contradictions in the social structure of that time are reflected in Horace's own nature and in his poems. Horace's works, including the Satires, Epodes, Odes, and Epistles, are discussed at length, as are the themes found in them such as the public panoply of government, war religion, empire, and the private realm of friendship, wine, love, and nature. Kiernan also looks at the similarities between Horace's age and our own, both in conflicts over class and race and in widespread religious doubts and shifts. A thoughtful work from one of this century's most gifted scholars, this new and intensenly personal approach to Horace should not be missed.

Contents:

1. Italy and Its Peoples

2. The Road to Empire

3. Economic and Social Life

4. Gods, Philosophers, Poets

5. Civil War and Horace

Part 2 The Satires 27

1. Horace and Satire

2. High Life

3. Poet and Patron

4. Low Life

5. Men and Women

6. Priests and Prophets

Part 3 The Epodes 51

1. Political

2. Satirical

3. Amorous

Part 4 The Odes: Public Themes 61

2. Political

3. Italian Patriotism

4. Augustus as Savior

5. Religion

6. War

7. Empire

8. Contradictions

Part 5 Odes: Private Themes 101

1. Personal

2. Friends and Acquaintances

3. Wine

4. Women and Men

5. Horace in Love?

6. Nature

7. Life and Death

8. The Last Odes

Part 6 The Epistles 139

1. In Search of Wisdom

2. Ethics

3. Literature

Part 7 The Augustan Era 163

1. Horace

2. The First Reign

3. Italy

4. Change and Decay.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [197]-200) and index.

ISBN:

0312165714

OCLC:

39810965