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On the Nature of Things Summary & Study Guide Description
On the Nature of Things Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections:
This detailed literature summary also contains Further Reading on On the Nature of Things by Lucretius.
On the Nature of Things Plot Summary
Preview of On the Nature of Things Summary:
Book One
Lucretius begins by invoking the name of Venus as a creative force, appealing to Memmius (to whom the work is addressed), and then praising his master Epicurus. (Scholars have noted the seeming inconsistency in Lucretius' invoking Venus at the beginning of a work that disclaims the gods' involvement with human life. The solution most commonly offered is that such a invocation was standard in the literature of the time, and that by keeping to the standard Lucretius hoped to win the trust and continued attention of readers.) Lucretius states that religion teaches fear, while science teaches fact. He recounts the story of Agamemnon, who was willing to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia for the good will of the gods. This is not piety, Lucretius says, but rather wickedness demanded by religion.
Next, Lucretius sets about describing atoms as the building blocks of every object and living thing in the world....
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This section contains 1,365 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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