Horace: Epistles Book II and Ars Poetica
Horace author Niall Rudd editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:7th Dec '89
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This commentary fulfils the need for a student edition of Horace's literary epistles, which have recently been the subject of renewed scholarly interest. Professor Rudd provides a clear introduction to each of the three poems: the Epistles to Augustus, to Florus, and to the Pisones (the so-called 'Ars Poetica'). He sketches the historical context in which the poems were written, and comments on their structure and purpose. Attention is paid to the literary preoccupations of the individual epistles: the relations of poet and patron, and the role of poetry in the state (Augustus), the problems of a (professedly) tiring poet (Florus), and the presentation of classical poetic theory in the 'Ars Poetica'. Horace's influence on later criticism is noted, and there is a brief section on one of Alexander Pope's Imitations. In his commentary on the text Professor Rudd addresses problems of grammar and style, focusing on linguistic difficulties and on the subtle movement of the poet's thought.
"Rudd has performed a valuable service in bringing us into the 1990's on the Literary Epistles of Horace, carefully assessing the monumental research of C.O. Brink and assimilating it ably, but with independence, to the purposes of this commentary. As a result, we now have the best and most up-to-date analysis of these three important poems that is available in any language, let alone English." Classical World
ISBN: 9780521312929
Dimensions: 186mm x 123mm x 17mm
Weight: 275g
256 pages