Martial Select Epigrams [Paperback]

Representative selection of Martial's poems with full introduction and commentary suitable for use with students.Some ninety poems of the first-century AD epigrammatist, Martial, are presented, with commentary, in this edition. They have been selected on the basis of their thematic importance but also with an eye to the opportunities which they provide for original interpretation of an author who until recently has suffered significant critical neglect. A particular focus of the book is consideration of the sociocultural and historical matrix from which the epigrams sprang and the Roman love of personal invective which sustains and enlivens a large part of Martial's corpus.Some ninety poems of the first-century AD epigrammatist, Martial, are presented, with commentary, in this edition. They have been selected on the basis of their thematic importance but also with an eye to the opportunities which they provide for original interpretation of an author who until recently has suffered significant critical neglect. A particular focus of the book is consideration of the sociocultural and historical matrix from which the epigrams sprang and the Roman love of personal invective which sustains and enlivens a large part of Martial's corpus.Ninety poems by Martial, the first-century a.d. epigrammatist, are presented, with commentary, in this edition. Selected on the basis of their thematic importance, these concise poems provide an unique opportunity to interpret a significantly neglected author. The book considers the sociocultural and historical matrix from which the epigrams sprang and the Roman love of personal invective which sustains and enlivens a major portion of Martial's work.Preface; Abbreviations; Introduction; Select epigrams; 1. Martial and poetry; 2. Poet and patron; 3. Martial and the city of Rome; 4. Women; 5. Sexual mores; 6. Satirical epigrams; 7. Epideictic epigrams; 8. Funerary epigrams; Commentary; Bibliography; Indexes. ...an important contribution to tli