Roman Epic: An Interpretive Introduction

The author’s approach to Roman epic is interpretative; the reader is invited to study a choice of typical texts, from the beginnings to the end of Antiquity. Famous poets are given the attention they deserve, but also some minor authors are discovered as precious ’missing links’ between the ages. Special heed is paid to intertextual relationships between different epochs, cultures, literary genres, linguistic and literary patterns. The book is meant for students and teachers of classical and modern literatures, but also for all those interested in the history of literary genres and cultural ideas.

Michael von Albrecht studied music, Latin, Greek and Sanskrit at Stuttgart, Tübingen, and Paris (Ph.D. 1959, venia legendi 1963). Full Professor of Classics at the University of Heidelberg 1964-98. Guest professorships in the Netherlands and in the United States. German-Russian Cultural Prize 1991 for the edition of his father’s musical works. Member of several academies and professional associations. Honorary doctor’s degree (University of Thessaloniki) 1998. Numerous works on comparative literature (e.g. Rom: Spiegel Europas 2nd ed. 1998). Music and classics (e.g. Masters of Roman Prose, English ed. 1988). His History of Latin Literature (Brill, 1997) was published in five languages. He is editor of several series of scholarly publications and co-editor of the International Journal of Musicology.