Blackwell Introductions to the Classical World

This book provides a unique and accessible introduction to the complete works of Ovid. Using a thematic approach, Volk lays out what we know about Ovid's life, presents the author's works within their poetic genres, and discusses central Ovidian themes. • The first general introduction to Ovid written in English in over 20 years, offering the very latest Ovidian scholarship • Discusses the complete works of Ovid • Accessible writing and a thematic approach make this text ideal for a broad audience • A current revival in Ovid makes this timely edition highly valuable

Virgil offers undergraduates, graduate students and general readers a comprehensive and carefully balanced introduction to the works and literary reception of Virgil. • Offers a fresh, comprehensive introduction to Virgil in translation • Explores the historical context in which Virgil wrote and lived • Discusses the manuscript tradition of Virgil • Traces the poet's literary influence on later authors and his impact on the arts • Includes suggestions for further readings

Ancient Epic offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to six of the greatest ancient epics—Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Vergil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and Apollonius of Rhodes' Agonautica. • Provides an accessible introduction to the ancient epic • Offers interpretive analyses of poems within a comprehensive historical context • Includes a detailed timeline, suggestions for further readings, and an appendix of the Olympian gods and their Akkadian counterparts

Catullus is one of the liveliest and most appealing Roman poets. His emotion, charm, and apparent spontaneity resonate with readers as strongly today as in antiquity. This sophisticated literary and historical introduction brings Catullus to life for the modern reader and presents his poetry in all its variety of emotions, subjects, and styles. • Places Catullus in a social, historical, and literary context • Examines Catallus' style and subjects, and provides a literary introduction to his major themes of love, social life, and politics • Discusses the reception of the poems by translators and interpreters

This volume provides an accessible, comprehensive, and up-to-date survey of the ancient Greek genre of historical writing from its origins before Herodotus to the Greek historians of the Roman imperial era, seven centuries later. • Focuses on the themes of power and human nature, causation, divine justice, leadership, civilization versus barbarism, legacy, and literary reception • Includes thorough summaries alongside textual analysis that signpost key passages and highlight thematic connections, helping readers navigate their way through the original texts • Situates historical writing among the forms of epic and lyric poetry, drama, philosophy, and science • Uses the best current translations and includes a detailed list of further reading that includes important new scholarship