Lucretius on Death and Anxiety

This insightful book explores Lucretius's perspectives on mortality and anxiety, revealing how Lucretius on Death and Anxiety addresses profound existential fears.

In Lucretius on Death and Anxiety, Charles Segal offers a fresh interpretation of Lucretius's seminal work, On the Nature of Things. He presents this poetic account of Epicurean philosophy as a significant document that shapes Western perspectives on death. Segal emphasizes how the poem seeks to promote spiritual tranquility while addressing two profound anxieties surrounding death: the fear of the dying process and the fear of nothingness. Unlike Epicurus's more abstract approach, Lucretius engages with the corporeal aspects of dying, drawing from Roman cultural concerns and the rich traditions of epic and tragic poetry regarding mortality.

Segal argues that Lucretius's nuanced understanding of the body's vulnerabilities connects individual deaths to a broader cosmic narrative. By placing human mortality within the context of the universe's creative and destructive energies, the poem transcends personal grief to explore universal themes. The controversial ending, which recounts the plague at Athens, serves as a natural culmination of the themes developed throughout the work, reinforcing the interconnectedness of life and death.

Originally published in 1990, Lucretius on Death and Anxiety is now part of the Princeton Legacy Library, which aims to make important scholarly works accessible again. By utilizing modern print-on-demand technology, the library preserves the original texts while offering durable paperback and hardcover editions, ensuring that the valuable insights within these works continue to reach new audiences.