Lucretius and the Transformation of Greek Wisdom

This book studies the structure and origins of De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), the great first-century BC poem by Lucretius.

David N. Sedley (Author)

9780521570329, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 October 1998

256 pages
23.6 x 15.9 x 1.9 cm, 0.55 kg

'… fascinating … S gives us a lot of excellent insights into many aspects of the poem … will continue to provoke healthy critical debate and is already required reading in university courses on Lucretius. It is not afraid to raise big questions about Lucretius … scrupulous accuracy and apparently effortless readability … his opinions, and the light his arguments shed on the detail of the poem and its background, cannot be ignored by any serious student - or teacher- of this poem.' The Journal of Classics Teaching

This book is designed to appeal both to those interested in Roman poetry and to specialists in ancient philosophy. In it David Sedley explores Lucretius' complex relationship with Greek culture, in particular with Empedocles, whose poetry was the model for his own, with Epicurus, the source of his philosophical inspiration, and with the Greek language itself. He includes a detailed reconstruction of Epicurus' great treatise On Nature, and seeks to show how Lucretius worked with this as his sole philosophical source, but gradually emancipated himself from its structure, transforming its raw contents into something radically new. By pursuing these themes, the book uncovers many unrecognised aspects of Lucretius' methods and achievements as a poetic craftsman.

1. The Empedoclean opening
2. Two languages, two worlds
3. Lucretius the fundamentalist
4. Epicurus, On Nature
5. Lucretius' plan and its execution
6. The imprint of Theophrastus
7. The transformation of Book I
Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]