Pliny the Younger: 'Epistles' Book II

The first modern literary commentary on Pliny the Younger's Epistles II, essential reading for students and scholars of Roman literature.

Pliny the Younger (Author), Christopher Whitton (Edited by)

9781107006898, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 November 2013

338 pages, 2 b/w illus. 1 table
22.3 x 14.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.53 kg

'… sets an extraordinarily high standard … a tour de force … an exceptional commentary.' Jacqueline Carlon, Classical Review

Pliny the Younger's nine-book Epistles is a masterpiece of Roman prose. Often mined as a historical and pedagogical sourcebook, this collection of 'private' letters is now finding recognition as a rich and rewarding work in its own right. The second book is a typically varied yet taut suite of miniatures, including among its twenty letters the trial of Marius Priscus and Pliny's famous portrait of his Laurentine villa. This edition, the first to address a complete book of Epistles in over a century, presents a Latin text together with an introduction and commentary intended for students, teachers and scholars. With clear linguistic explanations and full literary analysis, it invites readers to a fresh appreciation of Pliny's lettered art.

Introduction
Text
Commentary.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Literature & literary studies [D]