Selections from Petronius, The Satyrica: The Tales of Eumolpus (Bloomsbury Classical Languages)

Taking the reader through the fragmentary text of Petronius' Satyrica in a coherent sequence, this book gives a deeper understanding of the fascinating aesthetic, literary and social issues raised within the text. Petronius' Satyrica has long been popular with readers of Latin: it is one of the few texts that offers a glimpse into non-elite society in the early Roman imperial period. It is also one of only a handful of ancient novels to survive in any form, and certainly the most racy and controversial. Supported by a detailed contextualising introduction and companion website resources, these selections from the Latin text are carefully annotated for students and a full vocabulary can be found at the end of the book. The selections in this edition put at centre stage the figure of Eumolpus: poet, storyteller and would-be critic, as well as charlatan, swindler and lecher. He is one of the major characters in what survives of the Satyrica ; he serves as an internal narrator for many of the longer embedded poems and stories; and he meditates on topics of great interest, not the least being the perceived decline of art, science and culture in the contemporary Graeco-Roman world. In this way,students are introduced to some of the best-known myths and tales of antiquity, including the Capture of Troy and the Widow of Ephesus, while affording the opportunity to translate both prose and verse passages, and to consider and evaluate the Satyrica's relationship to the literary tradition. Petronius' Satyricon is one of the few texts that offers a glimpse into the 'real' world of the non-elite Roman. Although not a novel in the modern sense, it is an entertaining fictional account often narrated in the first person. This edition takes the reader through the text in a continuous arc to give a deeper understanding of the plot and characters than previous editions, which focus almost exclusively on one passage: the cena Trimalchionis. Supported by a detailed contextualising introduction and Companion Website resources, the Latin text is carefully annotated for students and a full vocabulary can be found at the end of the book. The selections in this edition put at centre stage the figure of Eumolpus: poet, storyteller, and would-be critic, as well as conman, swindler and lecher. He is one of the major characters in what survives of the Satyricon; he serves as an internal narrator for many of the longer embedded poems and stories; and he meditates on topics of great interest, such as the perceived decline of art, science, and culture in the contemporary Greco-Roman world. Following Eumolpus in this way enables students to get a sense of the broad plot of the Satyricon; to translate both prose and verse passages in this prosimetric text; and to consider and evaluate the Satyricon's relationship to the literary tradition. Cover 1 Halftitle page 2 Series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Contents 6 Illustrations 7 Preface 8 Abbreviations and Symbols 10 Map 13 Introduction 14 1. Authorship and Date of Composition 14 2. The Fragmentary State of the Text 16 3. Reconstructing the Plot 19 4. Genre and Literary Models 23 5. Language, Style, and Narrative Structure 28 6. Eumolpus’ Narratives 31 7. The Satyrica and Greco-Roman Culture 35 8. The Satyrica and Sexuality 37 Bibliography and Further Reading 39 Text 44 In the Art Gallery (83–90) 45 The Pergamene Boy (85–87) 47 The Capture of Troy (89 50 Aboard Lichas’ Ship (110–113) 53 The Widow of Ephesus (111–112) 54 On the Road to Croton (118–124) 58 The Civil War (119–124) 58 Commentary Notes 66 In the Art Gallery 66 The Pergamene Boy 75 The Capture of Troy 96 Aboard Lichas’ Ship 113 The Widow of Ephesus 115 On the Road to Croton 129 The Civil War 136 Glossary of Literary Terms 166 Latin Vocabulary 170