Books in the Understanding Classics series

Tracing their transmission through the ancient, medieval and modern periods, the author further examines questions of later reception and the use made of Homer in colonialism and imperialism.

It examines the literary origins of Latin elegy, highlights the poets' key themes and traces their reception by later writers and readers. Introducing the chief Latin elegists, as well as these poets' main sources of inspiration, the book shows that love elegy is the defining genre of Roman poetry.

Marcus Valerius Martialis is celebrated for his droll, frequently salacious, portrayal of Roman high and low society during first century rule of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. This title provides an overview - for students of classics and ancient history, as well as comparative literature - of the chief themes of his sardonic writings.

Gesine Manuwald evokes the many faces of Cicero, as well as his complexities and seeming contradictions. She focuses on his major writings, allowing the great rhetorician to speak for himself.