 | Horace''s @quot;Carmen Saeculare@quot;: Ritual Magic and the Poet`s Art Subjects: Horace. Carmen saeculare; Augustus Emperor of Rome 63 B.C.–14 A.D -- Art patronage; Political poetry Latin -- History and criticism; Horace -- Political and social views; Politics and literature -- Rome; Rome -- In literature; Ritual in literature; Mag; This is the first book devoted to Horace's Carmen Saeculare, a poem commissioned by Roman emperor Augustus in 17 B.C.E. for choral performance at the Ludi Saeculares , the Secular Games. The poem is the first fully preserved Latin hymn whose circumstances of presentation are known, and it is the only lyric of Horace we can be certain was first presented orally. Michael C. J. Putnam offers a close and sensitive reading of this hymn, shedding new light on the richness and virtuosity of its poetry, on the many sources Horace drew on, and on the poem's power and significance as a public ritual. A rich and compelling work, this poem is a masterpiece, Putnam shows, and it represents a crucial link in the development of Rome's outstanding lyric poet. Michael C. J. Putnam is W. Duncan MacMillan II Professor of Classics and professor of comparative literature at Brown University. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Virgil's Epic Designs: Ekphrasis in the Aeneid, published by Yale University Press. |
