Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs

Description

This book exploits recent reevaluations of Roman religion in order to argue in favor of taking the religious dimensions of Roman literature seriously, as important cultural work in their own right. Instead of seeing Roman religious and literary activity as derivative and parasitic upon Greek originals, the book questions the romanticizing biases of classical studies, and argues for the power and creativity of the Romans in their engagements with Greek culture.

'This ... useful book ... brings to the fore some of the main theoretical positions taken by current investigators of Roman religion, literature and culture ... Its detailed case studies of cultural interaction between literature and religion genuinely illuminate.' The Times Literary Supplement 'A gripping read, Literature and Religion at Rome assumes a relaxed discourse despite the complexity of its concepts, ensuring that otherwise complicated themes and issues discussed are presented with clarity and originality.' The Australian National Review ' ... compact but immensely rewarding ... this is a provocative and successful theoretical work which throws into high relief a raft of traditional assumptions which have proved impediments to modern understanding.' Prudentia 'Like the other volumes in the series, Hinds' Allusion and Intertext and Feeney's Literature and Religion at Rome are well written and well edited brief introductions to a significant area of scholarly research in Latin literature, designed simultaneously to incorporate and explain recent scholarship in the field and to serve as a protreptic to others.' Phoenix