Roman Literary Culture, second edition: From Plautus to Macrobius (Ancient Society and History)

Scholars of ancient literature have often focused on the works and lives of major authors rather than on such questions as how these works were produced and who read them and under what circumstances. In Roman Literary Culture Elaine Fantham fills that gap by examining the changing social and historical context of literary production in ancient Rome and its empire. Fantham discusses the habits of Roman readers and developments in their means of access to literature, from booksellers and copyists to pirated publications and libraries. She examines the issues of patronage and the utility of literature. She shows how the constraints of the physical object itself - the ancient "book" - influenced the practice of both reading and writing. And she explores the ways in which ancient criticism and critical attitudes reflected cultural assumptions of the time. Beginning with Cicero and his older contemporary Varro, Roman Literary Culture reviews both the public and the more private literary forms of the Augustan Age, when an elite reared on the primacy of Greek culture first confronted - and took pride in - their Roman literary inheritance. By the first century A.D., Fantham explains, Roman models dominated, and a new readership was evolving which included women and non-elite readers in the provinces who benefitted from a newly emerging commercial book trade. The second century brought a recurrence of Greek influence, as celebrated Greek rhetoricians and performers gave rise to a hybrid culture in which Greek and Latin values intertwined. The book concludes with a look at the ecumenical spread of Latin and its perpetuation through Christian literature. This new edition broadens the scope of Fantham's study of literary production and its reception in Rome. Scholars of ancient literature have often focused on the works and lives of major authors rather than on such questions as how these works were produced and who read them. In Roman Literary Culture , Elaine Fantham fills that void by examining the changing social and historical context of literary production in ancient Rome and its empire. Fantham's first edition discussed the habits of Roman readers and developments in their means of access to literature, from booksellers and copyists to pirated publications and libraries. She examines the issues of patronage and the utility of literature and shows how the constraints of the physical object itself—the ancient "book"—influenced the practice of both reading and writing. She also explores the ways in which ancient criticism and critical attitudes reflected cultural assumptions of the time. In this second edition, Fantham expands the scope of her study. In the new first chapter, she examines the beginning of Roman literature—more than a century before the critical studies of Cicero and Varro. She discusses broader entertainment culture, which consisted of live performances of comedy and tragedy as well as oral presentations of the epic. A new final chapter looks at Pagan and Christian literature from the third to fifth centuries, showing how this period in Roman literature reflected its foundations in the literary culture of the late republic and Augustan age. This edition also includes a new preface and an updated bibliography.

Scholars of ancient literature have often focused on the works and lives of major authors rather than on such questions as how these works were produced and who read them. In Roman Literary Culture, Elaine Fantham fills that void by examining the changing social and historical context of literary production in ancient Rome and its empire.

Fantham’s first edition discussed the habits of Roman readers and developments in their means of access to literature, from booksellers and copyists to pirated publications and libraries. She examines the issues of patronage and the utility of literature and shows how the constraints of the physical object itself—the ancient "book"—influenced the practice of both reading and writing. She also explores the ways in which ancient criticism and critical attitudes reflected cultural assumptions of the time.

In this second edition, Fantham expands the scope of her study. In the new first chapter, she examines the beginning of Roman literature—more than a century before the critical studies of Cicero and Varro. She discusses broader entertainment culture, which consisted of live performances of comedy and tragedy as well as oral presentations of the epic. A new final chapter looks at Pagan and Christian literature from the third to fifth centuries, showing how this period in Roman literature reflected its foundations in the literary culture of the late republic and Augustan age. This edition also includes a new preface and an updated bibliography.

Ancient literature scholars have often focused on the works & lives of major authors rather than on such questions as how these works were produced & who read them. Roman Literary Culture fills the void by examining the changing social & historical context of literary production in ancient Rome & its empire. Fanthams 1st edition discussed the habits of readers & developments in their means of access to literature, from booksellers & copyists to pirated publications & libraries. She examined the issues of patronage & the utility of literature & showed how the constraints of the physical object itself ancient "books"influenced practices of reading & writing. She also explored the ways in which ancient criticism & critical attitudes reflected cultural assumptions. Her 2nd edition expands the scope. In a new 1st chapter, she examines the beginning of Roman literaturemore than a century before the critical studies of Cicero & Varro. She discusses broader entertainment culture, consisting of live performances of comedy & tragedy as well as oral presentations of the epic. A new final chapter looks at pagan & Christian literature from the 3rd to 5th centuries, showing how this period reflected its foundations in the literary culture of the late republic & Augustan age. This edition also includes a new preface & bibliography. access to a text, so that the experience is single and linear, without possibility of review; a readership implies access only through a text; and a public implies distribution to a wide group outside the circle of the poet or writer. In early Latin literature, public and occasion go together, as they often will. "Added chapters in this edition extend the time of coverage both forward and backward, though the bulk of the bulk still covers Latin literature from 50 BCE to 150 CE."