SOURCE: "Martial, the Epigrammatist" in Martial, the Epigrammatist and Other Essays, The John Hopkins Press, 1918, pp. 13-36.
In the following excerpt, Smith offers a vigorous response to Martial's detractors, particularly those who have charged him with obsequiousness toward patrons. Smith stresses the tradition of the patron-client relationship—before as well as after Martial—and praises the poet's keen powers of observation, his candor, and his sense of proportion.
This is a free excerpt of 66 words. There are 6,445 words (approx.
21 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Martial c. 38-41 - c. 104: Critical Essay by Kirby Flower Smith Access Pass.
