Terence, The Comedies [Hardcover]

Peter Brown (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198149719 | ISBN-13: 978-0198149712 | Publication Date: February 8, 2007

Terence (?184-159 BC) was the outstanding comic playwright of his generation at Rome and one of the founding fathers of European comic drama. His plays have been imitated by authors as diverse as the nun Hrothswitha in the tenth century and P. G. Wodehouse in the twentieth. They deal with the love-life of adolescent boys and with associated tensions in their relations with their fathers. They show love triumphing over obstacles of various kinds, and they also portray the problems that arise from ignorance, misunderstanding, and prejudice. They are true to universal elements of human experience, and audiences today can readily engage with the issues they raise. This new translation with introduction and explanatory notes aims to convey the liveliness of the plays as pieces written for the theater.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This new translation ... is to be warmly welcomed. The whole is marked by the kind of scholarship one would expect from Brown, well informed, perceptive, alert to opposing views, and above all judicious. John Barsby, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198149719
• ISBN-13: 978-0198149712
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,292,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars timeless classic comedy, December 20, 2002

By 

Some Pug Loves Me (Baton Rouge, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Comedies (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Terence's character development is superb. He takes stock characters of past Greek plays and turns them around so that the reader sees that people are not black or white. They are rather gray with good and bad qualities. His stories develop around his characters and in each comedy there is a message that is as timesless as the dialogue and interaction between characters in his plays. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mastery with which Terence took Greek plays and adapted them for his Roman audience. The editing was good, and I think that there is a little something for all readers in the comedies of Terence. They are timeless classics that draw a quiet smile from the reader rather than an outright laugh.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comedic, June 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Comedies (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This book is one of my favorite textbooks ever. The storylines are interesting, though perhaps not hilarious from a modern standpoint. They do however make excellent fodder for research papers and for a deeper understanding of the ancient world!

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book, November 22, 2011

By 

mbp - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Terence The Comedies (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I bought this book for a Roman history class and I really enjoyed the plays. I think that I will read more than just the assigned readings.