Propertius: Elegies Book IV

Up-to-date commentary, with introduction and new text, on this important work of Latin poetry.

Propertius (Author), Gregory Hutchinson (Edited by)

9780521525619, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 31 August 2006

272 pages
21.7 x 13.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.38 kg

'… this new edition and commentary of Book IV is most welcome: it does not only form an introduction to Propertius' last collection, but should also stimulate reflection on the text and permit well-informed interpretations. … dedicated to the late Professor R.O.A.M. Lyne … there is no doubt that he would have been deeply pleased with such a remarkable tribute.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Propertius' fourth book is his most challenging and innovative. It disrupts genre; dislocates time and order; and meditates on gender, perception and history. A sort of postmodernism combines with narrative and structural verve, incisively physical writing and a gallery of colourful characters. This edition makes a demanding and rewarding text more accessible and more intelligible. The text is new; help and fresh ideas are offered on the text and meaning of words. A wide range of literary, inscriptional and archaeological material is used to illuminate this many-sided poetry. Much more space is given than in previous editions to literary interpretation and historical contextualization, in the light of modern work. The book is approached as a dynamic sequence of poems rather than a collection. The edition should be valuable to both students and scholars.

Introduction
SEX. PROPERTI LIBER QUARTVS
Commentary.

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