Petronius the Poet Verse and Literary Tradition in the Satyricon [Paperback]

An investigation of the thirty short poems and two long ones which form part of Petronius' Satyricon.This book investigates the thirty short poems and two long ones which form part of Petronius' Satyricon, the oldest surviving work of prose fiction in the western tradition. Unlike general studies of Petronius which do not consider the verse in much detail, and a recent commentary on the short poems which treats them in isolation, this book presents detailed close reading of these poems in their fictional and literary historical contexts.This book investigates the thirty short poems and two long ones which form part of Petronius' Satyricon, the oldest surviving work of prose fiction in the western tradition. Unlike general studies of Petronius which do not consider the verse in much detail, and a recent commentary on the short poems which treats them in isolation, this book presents detailed close reading of these poems in their fictional and literary historical contexts.This book investigates the thirty short poems and two long ones that form part of Petronius' Satyricon, the oldest surviving work of prose fiction in the Western tradition. Unlike general studies of Petronius that do not consider the verse in much detail, and a recent commentary on the short poems that treats them in isolation, this book presents detailed close readings of these poems in their fictional and literary historical contexts. All Latin and Greek is translated.Prefatory note; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction: verse and genre in Petronian criticism; 1. Refashioning the epic past; 2. In the frame: context and continuity in the short poems; 3. Troy retaken: repetition and re-enactment in the Troiae Halosis; 4. The Bellum Civile; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index of passages discussed; Index of subjects. This is a useful study...students will profit from reading some modern translations of these poems.... Upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; researchers; faculty. lãf