Offering a comprehensive exploration of Roman verse satire, this book situates the genre within its social and political contexts. It delves into the nuances of satirical works, examining their themes and the historical backdrop that influenced their creation. Through detailed analysis, readers gain insight into how these satirical pieces reflect and critique the society of their time.
Kirk Freudenburg offers a fresh perspective on Roman satire by analyzing Horace's literary influences, challenging the view that his Satires are mere moral sermons. He uncovers Horace's connections to popular comedy and Hellenistic moral literature, illustrating how the poet uses a sophisticated persona to navigate the gritty realities of life. By portraying the speaker as a theatrical character akin to comedic cynics, Freudenburg highlights the deeper ethical and philosophical themes within Horace's work, culminating in a nuanced theory of satire.
In laying the groundwork for a fresh and challenging reading of Roman satire, Kirk Freudenburg explores the literary precedents behind the situations and characters created by Horace, one of Rome's earliest and most influential satirists. Critics tend to think that his two books of Satires are but trite sermons of moral reform--which the poems supe