The Cambridge Companion to Latin Love Elegy

Leading scholars present the genre of Latin love elegy, its poets, features and influence on the history of Western literature.

Critical introduction to the fascinating genre of Latin love elegy, exploring its Greek and Latin precursors, the individual elegists, the world it presents, and why it has been so important to the concept of love and lament in the history of Western literature. Suitable for students and non-specialists.Latin love elegy is one of the most important poetic genres in the Augustan era, also known as the golden age of Roman literature. This volume brings together leading scholars from Australia, Europe and North America to present and explore the Greek and Roman backdrop for Latin love elegy, the individual Latin love elegists (both the canonical and the non-canonical), their poems and influence on writers in later times. The book is designed as an accessible introduction for the general reader interested in Latin love elegy and the history of love and lament in Western literature, as well as a collection of critically stimulating essays for students and scholars of Latin poetry and of the classical tradition.