A commentary on the "Satyrica" of Petronius

"The Satyrica is a thrilling piece of literature, and rare example of the Roman novel, credited to Gaius Petronius which is as modern today as the time it was written under the Roman emperor Nero. This is the first comprehensive commentary on the whole of Petronius' Satyrica, and is an attempt to unify and comprehend, as much as possible, the fragmentary text by looking carefully at the bits and pieces which have survived. The Satyrica's unique nature as a historical document from the ancient world has meant that it has been vigorously studied by social historians as it provides an insightful look into the lives of ordinary Roman people, such as the story of Trimalchio the Roman businessman, as well as enacting the evolution of Latin into the various Romantic languages as we know them today. Petronius puts into the mouth of each of his characters a unique level of Latin, so that the world of the Satyrica is populated not by characters who speak a kind of Latin which made Latin a dead language, but by flesh and blood people who have made Latin live until today. Schmeling's commentary offers readers an insightful analysis of this historically important text through philological, linguistic, historical, and narratological discussions, while highlighting past doubts on Petronius' authorship of the Satyrica."--Publisher's website. The Satyrica is a thrilling piece of literature and rare example of the Roman novel, credited to Titus Petronius. It is as modern today as in the time when it was written under the Roman emperor Nero. This is the first comprehensive commentary on the whole of Petronius' Satyrica, and an attempt to unify and comprehend, as much as possible, the fragmentary text by looking carefully at the bits and pieces which have survived. The Satyrica's unique nature as a historical document from the ancient world has meant that it has been studied vigorously by social historians; it provides rare insights into the lives of ordinary Roman people, such as the narrative about Trimalchio the Roman businessman, as well as documenting the evolution of Latin into the various Romance languages as we know them today. Petronius puts into the mouth of each of his characters a distinctive and socially defining level of Latin, so that the world of the Satyrica is populated not by characters who speak a kind of Latin which made Latin a dead language, but by flesh and blood people who have made Latin live until today. Schmeling's commentary offers readers a comprehensive analysis of this historically important text through philological, linguistic, historical, and narratological discussions, while highlighting past doubts on Petronius' authorship of the Satyrica "The Satyrica is a thrilling piece of literature, and rare example of the Roman novel, credited to Gaius Petronius which is as modern today as the time it was written under the Roman emperor Nero. This is the first comprehensive commentary on the whole of Petronius' Satyrica, and is an attempt to unify and comprehend, as much as possible, the fragmentary text by looking carefully at the bits and pieces which have survived. The Satyrica's unique nature as a historical document from the ancient world has meant that it has been vigorously studied by social historians as it provides an insightful look into the lives of ordinary Roman people, such as the story of Trimalchio the Roman businessman, as well as enacting the evolution of Latin into the various Romantic languages as we know them today. Petronius puts into the mouth of each of his characters a unique level of Latin, so that the world of the Satyrica is populated not by characters who speak a kind of Latin which made Latin a dead language, but by flesh and blood people who have made Latin live until today. Schmeling's commentary offers readers an insightful analysis of this historically important text through philological, linguistic, historical, and narratological discussions, while highlighting past doubts on Petronius' authorship of the Satyrica."--Résumé de l'éditeur Preface......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Abbreviations......Page 11 A. Author and Date of the Satyrica......Page 13 B. Testimonia and Manuscripts......Page 17 C. Reconstruction of the Satyrica......Page 21 D. A Hypothetical Schematic Reconstruction......Page 23 E. Language and Style in the Satyrica......Page 25 F. Genre of the Satyrica......Page 30 G. Poems in the Satyrica......Page 38 H. Epic and the Satyrica......Page 45 J. Lector Intende......Page 48 Commentary......Page 51 Chap. 6-11......Page 70 Chap. 12-15......Page 86 Chap. 16-26 Quartilla......Page 94 Chap.26.7-78 Cena......Page 131 Chap. 79-141 Back to adventures......Page 379 Bibliography......Page 599 Index of Other Names......Page 647 Index Rerum......Page 651 Index locorum......Page 669