The Roman Way (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When the curtain rings up for the stupendous drama which we know as Ancient Rome, it is raised surprisingly on two comic writers..." (more)
Key Phrases: Caelius Rufus, Mark Antony, Marcus Aurelius (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this informal history of Roman civilization, Edith Hamilton vividly depicts the Roman life and spirit as they are revealed in the greatest writers of the time. Among these literary guides are Cicero, who left an incomparable collection of letters; Catullus, the quintessential poet of love; Horace, the chronicler of a cruel and materialistic Rome; and the Romantics Virgil, Livy, and Seneca. The story concludes with the stark contrast between high-minded Stoicism and the collapse of values witnessed by Tacitus and Juvenal.
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About the Author

Edith Hamilton won the National Achievement Award in 1950, received honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters from Yale University, the University of Rochester, and the University of Pennsylvania, and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1957 she was many an honorary citizen of Athens and was decorated with the Golden Cross of the Order of Benefaction by King Paul of Greece.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (August 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393310787
• ISBN-13: 978-0393310788
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #164,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best survey of Rome, September 18, 2004

By	J. Baer (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I'd have to partially agree with the previous viewer. The Roman Way is boring at times. Hamilton's prose can be haulting, and her analysis somewhat pedantic. However, Hamilton was a product of a certain time and certain educational background, and one has to take that in mind when evaluating her style.

The major problems with the book are two. The first is that this book, when compared to Hamilton's Greek Way, is almost an afterthought. It's easy to see which culture was nearer and dearer to Hamilton, and into which she invested more thought. It's almost as if, having done a survey of the Greeks, Hamilton said to herself: "I suppose I better humor the Romanophiles and say a few words about those Latins."

The second problem is the method of analysis. Hamilton concentrates on the literature of the period, and from this draws her conclusions about Roman mentality. A lot of scholars from her era seem to think of classical society mostly in literary terms. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to a civilization than its poets and dramatists.

Hamilton saw the Greeks as a pleasant people who saw beauty in every day nature, and who tried to place themselves in harmony with that nature. She saw the Romans as people who had little use for beauty, and were instead on a quest to control nature. These generalizations don't do much justice to either culture.

Still, Hamilton is such a giant in the field, you almost have to read her works whether or not you find them sound. And her enthusiasm for the classical world, especially for Greece, is almost infectious.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant and thoughtful, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

I read this book (actually is was a combo of The Greek Way and The Roman Way). I really enjoyed it a lot. Edith Hamilton has a style that seems to bring one back in time. One almost believes he is there experiencing that ancient time. But moreover, one receives a personal feel of all the charactors she so richly describes. Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Horace, etc. all seem to come alive. Above it all, Ms. Hamilton has a wonderful writing style that manifests itself throughout. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read It Again, December 19, 2006

By	Oswald Sobrino "CatholicAnalysis.blogspot.com" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was first exposed to this classic in high school, but, of course, lacked the experience and maturity to appreciate it. I am glad I was exposed to it anyway because I was indeed impressed by it and remembered it in spite of my immaturity. I picked it up again and re-read it and was delighted. Hamilton is a voice from another time, a time not just of ancient Romans but a time when educated people in the modern West were really educated in what really matters and will always matter: the best that has been written and thought about the drama of human life throughout the ages. With that classic outlook, the reader cannot but help to recapture some of the balance, insight, sensitivity, and maturity that are the best fruits of a classical education. Now, more than ever, we need the classic restraint and equanimity that comes from the best of classical civilization. Reading Hamilton is a great tonic for a society increasingly fragmenting into more and more lunatic and decadent dead ends. The classics mature our personalities--and we need that in a time when egotism and undisciplined emotionalism are so rampant.