Latin Language and Latin Culture: From Ancient to Modern Times / Edition 1

by Joseph Farrell

Overview

The Latin language is popularly imagined in a number of specific ways: as a masculine language, an imperial language, a classical language, a dead language. This book considers the sources of these metaphors and analyzes their effect on how Latin literature is read. By reading with and more commonly against these metaphors, the book offers a different view of Latin as a language and as a vehicle for cultural practice. The argument ranges over a variety of texts in Latin and texts about Latin from antiquity to the twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521776639
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/15/2001
Series:	Roman Literature and its Contexts
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	164
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.43(d)
Lexile:	1440L (what's this?)

Table of Contents

1. The nature of Latin culture; 2. The poverty of our ancestral speech; 3. The gender of Latin; 4. The life-cycle of dead languages; 5. The voices of Latin culture.

Editorial Reviews

'… fresh and stimulating look at the roles of Latin in European culture and imagination …'. Journal of Roman Studies

Latin Language and Latin Culture is a constructive and beneficial addition to our reading list. All Latin is either translated or thoroughly explained. The style is clear and unpretentious, making a pleasant read not only for literary specialists but also for those who have no use for current critical jargon. It gives both a friendly introduction to the complexities of the Latin language and an interesting overview of Latin studies. Classics Ireland II

From the Publisher