Synopses & Reviews
Review
"This is a superbly clear and concise translation and revision for the Englishspeaking market of Conte's Letteratura latina, published in 1987.It stands out as an authoritative, comparative, and comprehensive survey of the literature, beginning with Livius Andronicus and finally shading off and thinning out in the period of Gregory of Tours and the Venerable Bede. Written on a high level of scholarly sophistication, it is an encyclopedic reference work in the true sense of a circle of knowledge, in which the historical background of the literary text and its author is emphasized, the place of the text in the development of its literary type is defined, and the ways in which later readers have judged its value are examined. The selection of works is reasonable and intelligent, and the commentary on each is done with great skill and perception. Included are up-to-date bibliographies, chronological tables and a glossary of literary terms. On a reference shelf heavy with Teuffel, Schanz, Duff, Albrecht, and the Cambridge History, there will now have to be a place made for Conte." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
This authoritative history of Latin literature offers a comprehensive survey of the thousand-year period from the origins of Latin as a written language to the early Middle Ages. At once a reference work, a bibliographic guide, a literary study, and a reader's handbook, Latin Literature: A History is the first work of its kind to appear in English in nearly four decades. From the first examples of written Latin through Gregory of Tours in the sixth century and the Venerable Bede in the seventh, Latin Literature offers a wide-ranging panorama of all major Latin authors. Including names, dates, edition citations, and detailed summaries, the work combines the virtues of an encyclopedia with the critical intelligence readers have come to expect from Italy's leading Latinist, Gian Biagio Conte.
--Emily Gowers "London Review of Books"
Synopsis
The authoriatative history of Latin literature.
This authoritative history of Latin literature offers a comprehensive survey of the thousand-year period from the origins of Latin as a written language to the early Middle Ages. At once a reference work, a bibliographic guide, a literary study, and a reader's handbook, Latin Literature: A History is the first work of its kind to appear in English in nearly four decades. From the first examples of written Latin through Gregory of Tours in the sixth century and the Venerable Bede in the seventh, Latin Literature offers a wide-ranging panorama of all major Latin authors. Including names, dates, edition citations, and detailed summaries, the work combines the virtues of an encyclopedia with the critical intelligence readers have come to expect from Italy's leading Latinist, Gian Biagio Conte.