| Fasti Revised Edition Contributor(s): Ovid (Author), Boyle, Anthony J. (Editor), Woodward, Roger D. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0140446907 ISBN-13: 9780140446906 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $17.10 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2000 Annotation: Fasti is both a calendar of daily rituals and a witty sequence of stories. Using the first six months of the Roman religious calendar as a frame, Ovid weaves Greek and Roman history and mythology, astronomical observations and political tidbits into a lively tapestry shot through with uncomfortable political echoes. Augustus tried to control his subjects by imposing his own accounts of history and an annual cycle of festivals on them, but Ovid brilliantly debunks Augustus's versions with his own reflections on patriotism, militarism, and public virtue with earthy images of sensual pleasures and sexual adventures. From the description of Mars' rape of Silvia -- "Mars sees her, desires what he sees, takes what he desires" -- with its echoes of Julius Caesar's famous boast, to the portrait of Romulus as a violent thug and impious rapist, Ovid debunks official heroes and dismantles the foundations of Rome's power structures. Written while Ovid was in exile, Fasti is at once a wonderfully witty sequence of stories and a courageous political manifesto. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Poetry | Ancient & Classical - Poetry | Subjects & Themes - Places - Literary Criticism | Poetry |
| Dewey: 871.01 |
| LCCN: 2001277171 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.84" H x 5.1" W x 7.8" (0.63 lbs) 432 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Written after he had been banished to the Black Sea city of Tomis by Emperor Augustus, the Fasti is Ovid's last major poetic work. Both a calendar of daily rituals and a witty sequence of stories recounted in a variety of styles, it weaves together tales of gods and citizens together to explore Rome's history, religious beliefs and traditions. It may also be read as a subtle but powerful political manifesto which derides Augustus' attempts to control his subjects by imposing his own mythology upon them: after celebrating the emperor as a Jupiter-on-earth, for example, Ovid deliberately juxtaposes a story showing the king of the gods as a savage rapist. Endlessly playful, this is also a work of integrity and courage, and a superb climax to the life of one of Rome's greatest writers. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |