Paul Murgatroyd

This volume consists of an introduction, the text of book 4 of Valerius Flaccus' "Argonautica," commentary, bibliography and index. However, it is not a standard philological commentary. Although it contains textual criticism (but only where meaning and appreciation are substantially affected) and explanation of sense and references (a vital basis for critical analysis), above all there is literary appreciation of Valerius' fourth book, which should help to bring about a revaluation of this largely neglected and sadly underestimated author. The book alerts readers to important aspects of Valerius' highly intellectual poetry, such as wit, humor, elegance, point, subtlety, narrative skill, and creative engagement with forerunners, especially Apollonius of Rhodes and Virgil.

Commentary on Book Four of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica

-- 770 lines from the Ars Amatoria, Books I and II -- An introduction to Ovid's life -- 148 pages of vocabulary, commentary, and notes

Selections from Ars Amatoria I and II : Oxford Text, Commentary, Vocabulary, Introduction

Ovid with Love

Garrett G. Fagan

This reader contains selections from Tacitus, Suetonius and Seneca on the first five Roman emperors. They present a dark world of murder, mayhem, debauchery and palace intrigue: Augustus with his firm moral policies and secret adulterous affairs; the sour and depraved Tiberius; the extravagance and madness of Caligula; the slobbering and ineffective Claudius; and Nero with his absurd artistic pretensions. Exciting, horrific and moving, the selections are also valuable for studying style and rhetoric, human nature and the roles of women, imperialism and corruption. The book is aimed at students moving on to genuine, unsimplified Latin prose after completing an introductory Latin course. It contains a useful introduction, detailed notes providing a lot of help with grammar, expression and translation, a full vocabulary, and an appreciation offering historical comment for context and analysis and literary criticism to make the passages come alive as literature and enhance students' perception and enjoyment.

An Intermediate Latin Reader

From Augustus to Nero

This work concerns the wanderings of Odysseus, from the fall of Troy to his return to Ithaca in books five to thirteen in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. It provides a reliable and readable translation of substantial parts of those books and a summary of the remaining parts, together with in-depth literary analysis intended to enhance critical appreciation and plain enjoyment of what is the most famous and appealing segment of Homer’s epic. The book also includes exercises, topics for investigation and references to other scholars and classical authors in order to extend the reader’s engagement with The Odyssey.

The Wanderings of Odysseus

Sarah Parker

Bridget Reeves

This volume offers up-to-date translations of all 21 epistles of Ovid’s Heroides. Each letter is accompanied by a preface explaining the mythological background, an essay offering critical remarks on the poem, and discussion of the heroine and her treatment elsewhere in Classical literature. Where relevant, reception in later literature, film, music and art, and feminist aspects of the myth are also covered. The book also contains an introduction covering Ovid's life and works, the Augustan background, the originality of the Heroides, dating, authenticity and reception. A useful glossary of characters mentioned in the Heroides concludes the book. This is a vital new resource for anyone studying the poetry of Ovid, Classical mythology or women in the ancient world.

A New Translation and Critical Essays

Ovid's Heroides

This commentary examines the text of book 4 of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica, and explicates sense and references, but above all, it provides a critical appreciation of the poetry, with a focus on wit, humor, elegance, subtlety, narrative skill and creative engagement with forerunners.

A Commentary on Book 4 of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica

This book is aimed primarily at English-speaking Classical Civilization students taking courses in Virgil, epic and myth at schools, colleges and universities, but will also be of interest to students reading Virgil Aeneid 2 in Latin and to the general reader. The book provides something new for those studying Virgil in translation, offering a detailed and in-depth literary analysis of a single book of the Aeneid, one of the most famous and appealing parts of the whole poem. The book provides a brief introduction to Virgil and the Aeneid in general, and Book 2 in particular. It also offers literary analysis, in order to enhance critical appreciation and plain enjoyment, making the book really come alive. At the end of each chapter exercises, topics for investigation, and references to other scholars and Classical authors are included to extend the engagement with Virgil. At the end of the book, Appendix A contains translations of other versions of the fall of Troy, and Appendix B summarizes the rest of Aeneas’ narrative in Book 3 of the Aeneid (with translation of, and comment, on key passages).

The Fall of Troy

A Reading of Virgil's Aeneid Book 2

This book analyses the mythical and legendary narratives in the Fasti as narrative. It covers aspects such as aperture, closure, characterization, internal narrators, description, space, time and also the narratives' complex relationship with Virgil, Livy and Ovid's own earlier works.

Mythical and Legendary Narrative in Ovid's Fasti

This engaging, readable yet impeccably scholarly investigation of monsters in Classical literature will entertain and stimulate as well as inform. It covers all the major mythical monsters mentioned by Greek and Roman authors (Medusa, Hydra, Polyphemus, the Minotaur, Sphinx, Harpies, Sirens, Cerberus, Chimaera, Centaurs, and many more) along with Classical precursors of vampires, werewolves and the living dead. Versions of these creatures that appear in later literature and film are also discussed. Mythical Monsters is original in considering monsters squarely from a literary standpoint, introducing elements of literary analysis gradually as the work progresses, and building up to quite a sophisticated approach. This will increase readers' critical appreciation and plain enjoyment of these stories, which continue to fascinate today. To facilitate browsing, each chapter can be read independently. There is a useful bibliography, and the book is enlivened by illustrations from ancient and more recent art.

Paul Murgatroyd

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