From Augustus to Nero: An Intermediate Latin Reader

Description

This book presents a narrative of the reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors, namely Augustus to Nero, with passages in original Latin from Tacitus, Suetonius and Seneca. Their works portray a dark world of murder and debauchery: Augustus with his firm moral policies and adulterous affairs; the depraved Tiberius; the extravagance and madness of Caligula; the ineffective Claudius; and Nero with his artistic pretensions. The selections are invaluable on an artistic and cultural level, promoting the study of style and rhetoric and exploring human nature, the roles of women and imperialism. This book is essential reading for those students who, having completed an introductory Latin course, are ready to tackle genuine, unsimplified Latin prose. With a comprehensive introduction, detailed notes and an appreciation of each writer which addresses questions of context, analysis and literary criticism, this book will enhance students' understanding and enjoyment of Latin prose.

Garrett G. Fagan is Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and History, The Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of Bathing in the Roman World (1999) and has also written a wide range of articles on the Roman world and pseudoarchaeology. Paul Murgatroyd is Professor of Classics at McMaster University. His publications include The Amatory Elegies of Johannes Secundus (2000) and Mythical and Legendary Narrative In Ovid's Fasti (forthcoming), as well as commentaries on Tibullus and a selection from Ovid's Ars Amatoria suitable for undergraduates. He is also a published Latin poet with numerous translations into and free compositions in Latin verse.

'... students and instructors who choose this book as a post-beginners text will find much to engage with. It is not easy to learn Latin as an adult and there is no way to make it easy, but the more interesting and helpful we can make it the better, and this volume certainly does that.' Classics Ireland