Roman Satire

This text is a compact and critically up–to–date introduction to Roman satire. It examines the development of the genre and focuses particularly on the literary and social functionality of satire. The book considers why men of learning and position adopted this “low” mode of expression, why satire was important to the Romans, and why it still matters. Designed for student readers, it presumes no specialized knowledge, yet takes account of the most recent critical approaches. The text presents each of the major practitioners of verse satire – Horace, Persius, and Juvenal, and their forebear Lucilius – in the context of the social milieux in which they wrote. It includes comparative and intertextual discussion of different satirists, including those of the Menippean tradition.

Preface. Timeline: Roman satire and its influence. Introduction. 1 Beginnings (?) 2 Horace. 3 Persius. 4 Juvenal. 5 Menippeans and after. Notes. Index.

Daniel M. Hooley is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Missouri, Columbia. His previous publications include The Classics in Paraphrase: Ezra Pound and Modern Translators of Latin Poe try (1988) and The Knotted Thong: Structures of Mimesis in Persius (1997).

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007 "This is the best introduction to this subject this reviewer has encountered … It is stimulating, original, and highly informative, and it takes account of all relevant scholarship … Summing Up: Essential. All readers; all levels." ( Choice ) "What sets this introductory book apart from others of its kind is its dedication to tackling the perpetually vexing question of satire as a genre – the question that vexed the satirists themselves." ( Bryn Mawr Classical Review ) "A volume to which one would direct bright students in search of stimulation and intellectual challenge." ( Scholia Reviews )