A Little Book of Latin Love Poetry : A Transitional Reader for Catullus, Horace, and Ovid

This reader introduces intermediate Latin students to Catullus, Horace, and Ovid. It offers a transition to reading these authors by presenting slightly modified versions of poems before the students read the authentic Latin verse as review. Vocabulary, reading helps, grammar reviews with exercises, and discussion questions are included, as well as sections on metrics, poetic devices and a complete glossary.

Also available:

Horace: A Legamus Transitional Reader - ISBN 0865166765
Vergil: A Legamus Transitional Reader - ISBN 0865165785

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A Little Book of Latin Love Poetry: A Transitional Reader for Catullus, Horace, and Ovid is suitable for intermediate students of Latin, gently introducing authentic works by Catullus, Horace, and Ovid. The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, students read adapted selections of poetry. A biographical introduction to each of the three authors precedes the poems. In the second part, students read the unadapted versions by the same authors.

The first part of this little reader contains extensive vocabulary on the facing pages, called 'Reading Vocabulary,' along with textual notes to aid the student in understanding aptly termed 'Reading Helps.' Additional notes about tricky grammatical and syntactical points are listed under 'FYI.' But the first part of the book does not limit itself nor the student, to untangling the Latin. Following each selection are questions in which the students perform grammatical and literary analysis of the text. As a further aid to the students on the journey between simplified Latin and unadapted text, following each selection is a 'Rapid Review' of grammatical topics often troublesome for intermediate students. This review does not extend to every topic introduced in previous Latin courses that students are likely to have studied. Nor does it attempt to mire students in page after page of advanced grammatical concepts. The review sections are efficient and adequate to the needs of intermediate students.

In the second part of the reader, students read unmodified versions of the same poems that they read in the first part. Textual notes to aid in student understanding, called 'Textual Matters' and open-ended questions, or 'Points to Ponder,' follow each selection.

The Appendices contain information that some teachers will find indispensable, and other teachers may wish to introduce to students later on. These appendices are 1. a timeline of the authors and events relevant to their lives; 2. a list of poetical devices and literary terms; 3. a brief discussion of meter; 4. a short grammar and syntax; and 5. a bibliography. There is also a Latin-to-English vocabulary at the end of the book.

Students are not overwhelmed by the inclusion of too many poems, adding to the appeal of this useful transitional text. Teachers in schools that offer AP Latin courses will be glad to know that most of the poems in the book are on the AP Latin Literature Syllabus. The exceptions are Horace Odes 111.26 and Ovid Amores I.5; the inclusion of poems not taught in the AP courses adds variety to the students' experience of Latin.

One of the more useful features of the text is the map of 'Places Mentioned in A Little Book of Latin Love Poetry' that gives students much needed geographical context for the poems. There are numerous small illustrations; sadly, they are not labeled as to source for students who may wish to see the original. Still, these illustrations give the student some visual 'hooks' on which to hang their newly gained understanding of the poems. --Laura Higley, Pequannock Township High School, Classical Outlook

My holidays were considerably lightened by reading your new book A Little Book of Latin Love Poetry. It is excellent and you are to be commended highly. The need for transitional books for beginning Latin students has long been felt, but very few have undertaken the task, and many of those who did, shouldn't have. Your book, on the other hand, should be a great gift to both teachers and students. The poems you have chosen are quite good in themselves, of course, but your comments, helps, and questions make them much more accessible than do usual commentaries. I hope the book will be hailed as the success that it is. --Roger Hornsby, University of Iowa