Introduction to Latin Literature

• Latin literature encompasses essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings in the Latin language.
• Formal Latin literature began in 240 BC with the first Latin stage play in Rome.
• Latin literature thrived for six centuries and includes the classical era, early Latin literature, The Golden Age, The Imperial Period, and, Late Antiquity.
• Beyond Roman authors like Cicero, Virgil, and Ovid, Latin literature includes works by post-Roman European writers, such as Aquinas, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, and Newton.
• The formal start of Latin literature was marked by regular comedy and tragedy performances in Rome in 240 BC, following the First Punic War.
• Livius Andronicus, a Greek war prisoner, adapted Greek dramas into Latin, beginning with Homer's Odyssey in Saturnian meter.

Early Latin Literature

• Gnaeus Naevius, a Roman citizen, produced reworked Greek dramas (fabula palliata) and original Roman tragedies (fabula praetexta), starting in 222 BC.
• Naevius also composed an epic poem in Saturnian meter about the First Punic War.
• Quintus Ennius adopted Greek dactylic hexameter for his historical epic, the Annals, chronicling Roman history and establishing a standard for Roman epics.
• Marcus Pacuvius and Lucius Accius wrote Latin versions of Greek tragic themes, though only fragments of their plays survive.
• Plautus and Terence modeled their comedies on Greek New Comedy, with Plautus known for humor and songs, and Terence for austere, domestic-focused plays.
• Cato the Elder's On Agriculture (160 BC) is a significant prose work, with Cato also writing the first Latin history of Rome and documenting his political speeches.
• Gaius Lucilius created a new poetic form with his Satires, written in a conversational tone.

The Golden Age

• The period from 81 BC to AD 17 is the traditional height of Latin literature.
• Cicero is considered the master of Latin prose due to the quantity, variety, and stylistic excellence of his letters, rhetorical treatises, philosophical works, and orations.
• Cicero's letters offer insights into Roman history and governing class life, while his works on oratory remain valuable sources for ancient theories on education and rhetoric.
• His philosophical works influenced moral philosophy during the Middle Ages, and his speeches inspired European political leaders and the founders of the United States.
• Julius Caesar wrote commentaries on the Gallic and civil wars in a straightforward style to justify his actions, while Sallust was another significant historical writer.
• Catullus's lyrics are known for their emotional intensity.
• Lucretius expounded Epicurean philosophy in his poem, De rerum natura.
• Marcus Terentius Varro, "the most learned of the Romans," wrote on diverse subjects, though only his works on agriculture and the Latin language are fully extant.

The Augustan Age

• Emperor Augustus’ reign (27 BC to AD 14) saw significant literary production and is known as the Augustan Age.
• Virgil's Eclogues, Georgics, and the Aeneid, an epic poem about Rome's origins, were written during this time.
• Virgil's Aeneid provided divine justification for Roman rule.
• Horace wrote Epodes, Odes, Satires, and Epistles, with his Odes admired for their content, form, and style.
• Horace's Satires and Epistles discuss ethical and literary problems with wit, and his Art of Poetry influenced later poetic theories.
• Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid were key figures in the development of Latin elegy, mainly focused on love.
• Ovid also wrote the Fasti, describing Roman festivals, and the Metamorphoses, which became a major source of Greek and Roman mythology.
• Sulpicia is one of the few female poets of ancient Rome whose work survives.
• Livy produced a history of the Roman people in 142 books, with 35 surviving as a major source.

The Imperial Period

• From AD 14 to about 200, Roman authors focused on style and experimentation.
• Seneca wrote dialogues and letters on moral themes and analyzed natural phenomena in Natural Questions.
• Seneca's tragedies influenced the growth of European tragic drama.
• Lucan wrote the Pharsalia, an epic poem about the civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
• Petronius's Satyricon, was the first picaresque Latin novel and described the lives of low-class characters.
• Martial's epigrams achieved a stinging quality, and Juvenal satirized vice.
• Tacitus offered a dark portrayal of the early empire in his Histories and Annals.
• Suetonius wrote biographies of 12 Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar through Domitian.
• Pliny the Younger's letters depicted Roman life.
• Quintilian wrote a complete work on ancient education.
• Key 2nd-century works include Aulus Gellius's Attic Nights and Marcus Cornelius Fronto's letters to Marcus Aurelius.
• Apuleius's Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass) tells the story of a man turned into a donkey and includes tales of love and witchcraft.

Late Antiquity

• Pagan Latin literature saw a resurgence from the late 3rd to 5th centuries with figures like Ammianus Marcellinus (history), Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (oratory), and Ausonius and Rutilius Claudius Namatianus (poetry).
• Ausonius's Mosella demonstrated a modern sensibility, signaling the end of classical literature.
• Christian Latin literature was established by church fathers Augustine of Hippo, Jerome, and Ambrose, along with the poet Prudentius.
• Surviving Latin writings by Christian women include Perpetua of Carthage's prison diary and Egeria's account of a Christian pilgrimage.

Neo-Latin

• During the Renaissance, there was a revival of classical Latin, known as Neo-Latin.
• Latin remained a lingua franca among scholars, with major works by Descartes, Francis Bacon, and Baruch Spinoza written in Latin.
• Important books in Latin prose were written by Swedenborg, Linnaeus, Euler, Gauss, and Newton, with Latin remaining essential for understanding early modern works of linguistics, literature, and philosophy.
• Many English poets, including Milton, Campion, Herbert, and Marvell, wrote in Latin.
• Some authors, like Anthony Alsop and Vincent Bourne, were valued for their Latin style, and Walter Savage Landor was noted for his Latin verse into the 19th century.

Rhetoric and Style

• Latin writing reflected the Romans' interest in rhetoric, crucial for political careers in the Republic but continued even after it lost prominence during the Empire.
• Latin's inflection allows both pithiness and complex elaboration and can be concise.
• Lacking Greek's poetic vocabulary, Roman poets created compound words and emphasized word combinations and sound effects instead.
• Roman poets were skilled in language arrangement and were influenced by Greek themes.

Explore the origins and evolution of Latin literature, starting from 240 BC with the first Latin stage play in Rome. Discover the key periods, including the classical era, the Golden Age, and Late Antiquity. Learn about influential figures like Livius Andronicus and Gnaeus Naevius.