Rumour and Renown
Representations of Fama in Western Literature
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:2nd Feb '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
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- Paperback£46.99(9781107475984)
Major study of the literary treatment of rumour and renown across the canon of authors from Homer to Alexander Pope.
Major study of the literary treatment of rumour and renown across the canon of authors from Homer to Alexander Pope, including readings in historiographical and dramatic texts, and authors such as Petrarch, Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton. Of interest to students of classical and comparative literature and of reception studies.The Latin word fama means 'rumour', 'report', 'tradition', as well as modern English 'fame' or 'renown'. This magisterial and groundbreaking study in the literary and cultural history of rumour and renown, by one of the most influential living critics of Latin poetry, examines the intricate dynamics of their representations from Homer to Alexander Pope, with a focus on the power struggles played out within attempts to control the word, both spoken and written. Central are the personifications of Fama in Virgil and Ovid and the rich progeny spawned by them, but the book focuses on a wide range of genres other than epic, and on a variety of modes of narrating, dramatising, critiquing and illustrating fama. Authors given detailed readings include Livy, Tacitus, Petrarch, Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Milton.
'… [a] magnum opus, a magisterial work of learning that aims to offer a comprehensive picture of the ever-changing Fama, the personified Rumor, from its Greek origins through Virgil, Ovid, and beyond … Without exaggeration, this is a must-read book, and what I hope to offer here is but a glimpse of its rich, stimulating, and highly rewarding contents … Beyond doubt, this volume is the result of many years of research; the production is handsome and flawless. It has already taken a special place on my bookshelf, and as I am sure, on the shelves of many readers and students of Latin literature and its reception.' Antony Augoustakis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
'… monumental …' Niklas Holzberg, Classical World
'This monumental tome does more than merely distil and deliver insights into the workings of Fama; it takes the reader on a gripping journey through the highways and byways of her literary (and eventually artistic) representation.' Jane Heath, The Expository Times
'Impressive for the breadth of its coverage of so many authors and works across so many literary epochs, this study of representations of Fama in the Western tradition nevertheless combines that vastness of scale with Hardie's characteristic acuity as a close reader of text (text that extends in this case far beyond the Greco-Roman canon). The book is also beautifully produced, with ample margins, thirty-seven illustrations, thirty-six pages of bibliography and thorough indices of passages discussed and of general subjects.' Gareth Williams, The Journal of Roman Studies
ISBN: 9780521620888
Dimensions: 253mm x 185mm x 38mm
Weight: 1540g
706 pages