Horace Summary

Horace (65 BC-8 BC), or Quintus Horatius Flaccus, was a Roman lyric poet, satirist, and literary critic. He is generally considered one of the greatest lyric poets of the world.Horace's boast was to h... Read more

In the following essay, Haight explores the impact of Augustus's rule and policies on Horace, who became the “quasi-official laureate of the Empire.” The Shaping of an Empire T... Read more

In the following essay, Wolfe lays out the task of the satirist, asserts that he seeks not only judgment but condemnation, and contrasts satire with the lampoon, parody, burlesque, and allegory. Th... Read more

In the following essay, originally published in 1947, Oliver explains that the best way to read Horace is in Latin, but barring this, that it is essential to have the Latin original beside the transla... Read more

In the following essay, Commager contends that Horace's nature poetry is not concerned with nature intrinsically, but with that aspect of nature from which one can draw moral lessons. Nature ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Lee examines Horace's use of imagery, particularly the “frightful realism” of his death-connoting images. “The greatest thing by far is to be a... Read more

In the following essay, Freudenburg discusses Horace's use of satiric persona, the influence of Bion on his satire, and his handling of the diatribe. Introductory Remarks: Ancient Rhetoric an... Read more

In the following essay, Geikie explores the influence that country life had on Horace's poetry, both during his childhood years and in his adulthood, while he was living on a farm given to him ... Read more

In the following essay, Conway commends Horace's poems concerning national events, because the poems demonstrate that Horace steadfastly honored Roman history. Conway notes that Horace praised ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Sikes surveys the history of Roman literary criticism, examines theories regarding the function of poetry, analyzes the role of meter, and investigates the question of whethe... Read more

In the following essay, Reckford considers Horace's Satires 1.5, the “Trip to Brundisium,” focusing on the theme of amicitia, the agon between Sarmentus and Messius Cicirrus, and ... Read more

In the following essay, McNeill examines the history of critical debate on Horace, the man. Although there has been considerable contention in the past with respect to whether the Horace in the poetry... Read more

In the following essay, West proposes some general principles for the reading of Horace, including the need to be as true as possible to the Latin in translation and the need to view the text within t... Read more

In the following essay, Tiefenbrun investigates the function of the blood and water motif in Horace. Woman is the lesser man, and all thy        &#x... Read more