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, published 31 August 2006

272 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.35 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]