This is the first full-length study in English of the Roman poet Martial's life, poetry and politics, as well as of the survival of his fifteen books of epigrams and short poems from his death around AD 104 to the present. The subjects examined include his defence of epigram as an art form, his misogyny and obscenity, his style, wit and humour, and, not least, his imperial propaganda. The concluding part of the work examines his high reputation in the Renaissance and the later censorship and...
A full-length study of Martial's life, times, art and the survival of his poetry
Introduction;1. Martial's life and times; 2. Martial's Apologia pro opere suo; 3. The epigram tradition: Martial's Greek and Latin models; 4. The coherence of Martial's themes; 5. Martial's sexual attitudes; 6. Humanity and humour; imagery and wit; 7. Survival and revival; Appendix1. Chronology; Appendix 2. Martial and the Greek epigram.