Ancient Latin poetry books : materiality and context / Gabriel Nocchi Macedo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nocchi Macedo, Gabriel, author.

Series:

New texts from ancient cultures

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Latin poetry--History and criticism.

Latin poetry.

Manuscripts, Latin.

Transmission of texts--Rome.

Transmission of texts.

Books and reading--Rome--History.

Books and reading.

Rome (Empire).

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Physical Description:

xii, 363 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 2021.

Summary:

"Before the invention of printing, all forms of writing were done by hand. For a literary text to circulate among readers, and to be transmitted from one period in time to another, it had to be copied by scribes. As a result, two copies of an ancient book were different from one another, and each individual book or manuscript has its own history. The oldest of these books, those that are the closest to the time in which the texts were composed, are few, usually damaged, and have been often neglected in the scholarship. Ancient Latin Poetry Books presents a detailed study of the oldest manuscripts still extant that contain texts by Latin poets, such as Virgil, Terence, and Ovid. Analyzing their physical characteristics, their script, and the historical contexts in which they were produced and used, this volume shows how manuscripts can help us gain a better understanding of the history of texts, as well as of reading habits over the centuries. Since the manuscripts originated in various places of the Latin-speaking world, Ancient Latin Poetry Books investigates the readership and reception of Latin poetry in many different contexts, such schools in the Egyptian desert, aristocratic circles in southern Italy, and the Christian élite in late antique Rome. The research also contributes to our knowledge about the use of writing and the importance of the written text in antiquity. This is an innovative approach to the study of ancient literature, one that takes the materiality of texts into consideration"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Beyond Meter? Ancient Definitions of Poetry

2. Written Meter: Writing Poetry in Greece and Rome

3. Objectives and Research Methods

4. The Manuscripts

5. Limits of the Research

6. A Note on Paleographical Dating

7. Sigla and Conventions

8. Images

ch. 1 Manuscripts Of Hexametric Poetry

1. Authors and Texts

2. Codicology

3. Paleography

ch. 2 Manuscripts Of Elegiac Poetry

ch. 3 Manuscripts Of Dramatic Poetry

ch. 4 Book Typology And Contexts Of Reception

1. Latin Poetry Books in Context

2. The Poets and the Books

Conclusion

Descriptive Catalogue

1. Manuscript Details

4. Typology

5. Signs

Appendixes

Appendix 1

Appendix 2.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780472132393

0472132393

OCLC:

1240827248

Publisher Number:

99988377335