Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook274 pages3 hours
The Satyricon
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
The Satyricon is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry. It is believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius Arbiter, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as a certain Titus Petronius. As with the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, classical scholars often describe it as a "Roman novel", without necessarily implying continuity with the modern literary form. The surviving portions of the text detail the misadventures of the narrator, Encolpius, and his lover, a handsome sixteen-year-old boy named Giton. Throughout the novel, Encolpius has a hard time keeping his lover faithful to him as he is constantly being enticed away by others. Encolpius's friend Ascyltus (who seems to have previously been in a relationship with Encolpius) is another major character.
Of the many masterpieces which classical antiquity has bequeathed to modern times, few have attained, at intervals, to such popularity; few have so gripped the interest of scholars and men of letters, as has this scintillating miscellany known as the Satyricon, ascribed by tradition to that Petronius who, at the court of Nero, acted as arbiter of elegance and dictator of fashion. The flashing, wit, the masterly touches which bring out the characters with all the detail of a fine old copper etching; the marvelous use of realism by this, its first prophet; the sure knowledge of the perspective and background best adapted to each episode; the racy style, so smooth, so elegant, so simple when the educated are speaking, beguile the reader and blind him, at first, to the many discrepancies and incoherences with which the text, as we have it, is marred. The more one concentrates upon this author, the more apparent these faults become and the more one regrets the lacunae in the text. Notwithstanding numerous articles which deal with this work, some from the pens of the most profound scholars, its author is still shrouded in the mists of uncertainty and conjecture. He is as impersonal as Shakespeare, as aloof as Flaubert, in the opinion of Charles Whibley, and, it may be added, as genial as Rabelais; an enigmatic genius whose secret will never be laid bare with the resources at our present command.
Of the many masterpieces which classical antiquity has bequeathed to modern times, few have attained, at intervals, to such popularity; few have so gripped the interest of scholars and men of letters, as has this scintillating miscellany known as the Satyricon, ascribed by tradition to that Petronius who, at the court of Nero, acted as arbiter of elegance and dictator of fashion. The flashing, wit, the masterly touches which bring out the characters with all the detail of a fine old copper etching; the marvelous use of realism by this, its first prophet; the sure knowledge of the perspective and background best adapted to each episode; the racy style, so smooth, so elegant, so simple when the educated are speaking, beguile the reader and blind him, at first, to the many discrepancies and incoherences with which the text, as we have it, is marred. The more one concentrates upon this author, the more apparent these faults become and the more one regrets the lacunae in the text. Notwithstanding numerous articles which deal with this work, some from the pens of the most profound scholars, its author is still shrouded in the mists of uncertainty and conjecture. He is as impersonal as Shakespeare, as aloof as Flaubert, in the opinion of Charles Whibley, and, it may be added, as genial as Rabelais; an enigmatic genius whose secret will never be laid bare with the resources at our present command.
Unavailable
Read more from Petronius Arbiter
The Satyricon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Satyricon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Satyricon — Complete Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 03: Encolpius and His Companions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Satyricon — Volume 04 : Escape by Sea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 06: Editor's Notes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 05: Crotona Affairs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Complete Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 01: Introduction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 02: Dinner of Trimalchio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon - Volume 04 : Escape by Sea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSatyricon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Volume 07: Marchena Notes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Satyricon
Related ebooks
The Satyricon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon — Complete Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssays of Michel de Montaigne — Volume 07 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pleasures of England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Defence of Poesy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTusculan Disputations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pleasures of England: Lectures given in Oxford Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVolpone or, The Fox: "There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Alchemist: "To speak and to speak well, are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDialogue on Orators Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIsmael; an oriental tale. With other poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTHE GOLDEN ASS: From The Metamorphoses of Apuleius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sejanus: His Fall: "In small proportions we just beauties see; And in short measures, life may perfect be." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Critical Edition of Menaphon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Asse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProverbs and Their Lessons: Being the Subject of Lectures Delivered to Young Men's Societies at Portsmouth and Elsewhere Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 11, September, 1858 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Asse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ismael; An Oriental Tale with Other Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Ass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dance of Death - William Herman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece (Vol. 1-3): Tradition and Social Life in Antique Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Art of Writing: Lectures delivered in the University of Cambridge 1913-1914 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Metamorphoses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFireside Travels (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Consolation of Philosophy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Orator, A Dialogue Concerning Oratorical Partitions, and Treatise on the Best Style of Orators Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Arte of English Poesie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
General Fiction For You
It Ends with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unhoneymooners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Terminal List: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Sister's Keeper: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dante's Divine Comedy: Inferno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beartown: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Black Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Satyricon
Rating: 3.6819726948979596 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
294 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a clear, straightforward translation of this superbly funny bit of "adult" reading that had monks chuckling in their scriptoria down the ages. A "must have" for that corner of the book shelves where Catullus' poetry and Lysistrata dwell.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Schelmenroman in de overtreffende trap, prachtig, scabreus; datering en auteurschap onzeker
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Only fragments remain from the original and so what we have here is, well, fragmentary. Some bits are amusing, some bits are confusing, and it all naturally enough goes nowhere. The "plot", such as there is, bears remarkable similarity to that of the second Austin Powers movie. With slightly more gay sex.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So this is like a Roman Brideshead Revisited, a fantasy of lushness beyond this world. Only Petronius's fantasies include less Catholic moral reckoning and English awkwardness (which can carry an erotic charge just like anything can mate) and more let's be generous and call it "ephebophilia" and, like, elaborate Roman turduckens.