Barbed and vivid details in Juvenal's satiric poetry reveal a highly complex critique of the breakdown of traditional Roman values

The poet Juvenal is one of the most important ancient Roman authors, and his sixteen satires have left a strong mark on western literature. Despite his great influence, little is known about the poet’s life, beyond unreliable details gleaned from his poetry. Yet Juvenal’s satires contain a wealth of information about the mentality of imperial-era Romans. This volume offers a fresh and student-friendly translation of two of Juvenal’s most provocative poems: Satire 2 and Satire 6. With their common focus on gender and sexuality, these two works are of particular interest to today’s readers. Both Satire 2 and Satire 6 target effeminate men and wayward women as objects of ridicule, and they ruthlessly mock their behavior in an effort to expose deep-seated problems in Roman society. The longer of the two works, Juvenal’s sixth satire, addresses a basic question, “Why get married?,” in a tone of spite and ferocity, and its details are disturbingly graphic. Satire 2 is a shorter but equally pointed tirade against effeminacy and passive homosexuality. Taken together, the poems compel readers to critique the discourse of gender stereotypes and misogyny. For students and scholars of gender and sexuality, these poems are crucial texts. Chiara Sulprizio’s lively translation, perfectly suited for classroom use, captures the vivid spirit of Juvenal’s poems, and her extensive notes enhance the volume’s appeal by explicating the poems from a gendered perspective. An in-depth introduction by Sarah H. Blake places the satires within their broader literary, historical, and cultural context.

The first commentary to adopt an integrated approach to Satire 6 by drawing together a multiplicity of different perspectives.

William Allan's Very Short Introduction provides a concise and lively guide to the major authors, genres, and periods of classical literature. Drawing upon a wealth of material, he reveals just what makes the 'classics' such masterpieces and why they continue to influence and fascinate today.

First published in 1932, as the sixth edition of an 1898 original, this collection of some of Juvenal's satires, including the often-overlooked sixth satire, was edited and abridged by noted Juvenal scholar James Duff. Duff begins the book with a biography of the poet, an overview of satire before Juvenal, as well as an assessment of the available manuscripts and the rich scholia handed down from antiquity. The notes include a summary of each satire and commentary on the text. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Juvenal or the history of satire.

A new commentary on the first book of satires of the Roman satirist Juvenal. The essays on each of the poems together with the overview of Book I in the Introduction present the first integrated reading of the Satires as an organic structure.