Customer Reviews

Claudian: De Raptu Proserpinae (Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries)

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An near-perfect edition with excellent scholarly notes. This is Claudian's most popular poem nowadays, probably since it is his only work of fiction instead of journalistic rhetoric. And what a fine poem it is, though only 1200 lines long and broken off after three short books.

The notes are very advanced. The five or ten most difficult passages are explained in the course of defending particular readings. Otherwise, the reader is on her own. However, there is an English translation or two on the internet, and the notes and introduction here are helpful, and far more than the Latin internet versions give. So if you're comfortable with Latin poetry, you'll be comfortable with this. If not, the Loeb version might be better for you.

Sainte-Beuve, in a nasty review, said Victor Hugo was a master of the techniques of the Latin decadents. You can't get more decadent than Claudian: Rome fell about five minutes after he died. He's a constant surprise, and he never stops being fun. Gibbon said he was clever but didn't touch our hearts. Some readers like poets better that way.