Musa Pedestris: Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse - Hardcover

Morgan, Llewelyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199554188 ISBN 13: 9780199554188

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2011

Synopsis

A characteristic of Greek and Latin poetry (sometimes an intimidating one) is the variety of metrical shapes it can adopt. Llewelyn Morgan offers an accessible account of some of the most common of these metres in Roman poetry, and explains how the poets can exploit them to support, supplement, or indeed drive the meaning of the poems they carry. Metre is revealed as an aspect of Roman poetry which is every bit as creative as its word play, and new insights are given to a range of Roman poems, from reassessments of familiar poems by Catullus and Horace to explanations of the remarkable artistry underlying less mainstream works by Martial, Statius, and Lucilius.

About this title

About the Author:

Llewelyn Morgan is University Lecturer in Classical Languages and Literature, Oxford University and a Fellow of Brasenose College

Review:

Musa Pedestris is full of learning and contains much of value * Richard F. Thomas, Phoenix * a rewarding and a genuine stimulus for future research. ... M's eloquent defence of why and how 'metre matters' can only be salutary to modern classical scholarship more broadly. * David Butterfield, Journal of Roman Studies * Excellent and timely ... While there is much to be learned from the minutiae scattered throughout the book, Morgan's main mission is much more ambitious, for he argues that the poet's choice of metre is a catalyst, giving the alert reader certain specific expectations about the tone and content of the poem as a whole ... Although the book is written as a wake-up call to critics, Morgan presents his arguments in an admirably non-confrontational style, and is always aware of the subjectivity inherent and inevitable in his thesis. * J.C McKeown, Times Literary Supplement * [a] seductively written book ... the prose is so stylish ... Morgan writes in beautiful, unpredictable waves * Joshua T. Katz, Bryn Mawr Classical Review * This brilliant book will be of considerable interest to all readers of Roman poetry. Wielding a vast array of metrical scholarship and possessed of a fine literary sensibility ... splendidly presented. * James Morwood, Journal of Classics Teaching * All composers of Latin verse should read Llewelyn Morgan's Musa Pedestris. It is quite simply the best book ever written on Latin metrics. * Barry Baldwin, Vates, Journal of New Latin Poetry *

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0199554188
• ISBN 13: 9780199554188
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 424