Affiliates
| Works by
Titus Lucretius Carus
(Aka Lucretius)
(Poet)
[Circa 99 BC- ca. 55 BC] |
Profile created March 11, 2008
|
The Nature of Things (2007),
A. E. Stallings, ed.
The Epicureans of ancient Rome discarded the ideas
of life after death and of an interventionist God in favor of the tactile
pleasures of nature. In The Nature of Things, Lucretius (99 - 55
BC) celebrates with wit and sharp perception the extraordinary breadth of
the Epicurean belief system, ranging from the indestructibility of atoms
and the discovery of fire to the folly of romantic love and the phenomena
of clouds and rainstorms.
Lucretius on Creation and Evolution: A Commentary on De Rerum Natura, Book Five, Lines 772-1104 (2004) by Gordon Campbell
Lucretius' account of the origin of life, the origin
of species, and human prehistory is the longest and most detailed account
extant from the ancient world. It gives an anti-teleological mechanistic
theory of zoogony and the origin of species that does away with the need
for any divine aid or design in the process, and accordingly it has been
seen as a forerunner of Darwin's theory of evolution. This commentary
locates Lucretius in both the ancient and modern contexts, and treats
Lucretius' ideas as very much alive rather than as historical concepts.
The recent revival of creationism makes this study particularly relevant
to contemporary debate, and indeed, many of the central questions posed by
creationists are those Lucretius attempts to answer.
Lucretius on Atomic Motion: A Commentary (2002) by Don Fowler
Lucretius' theory of atomic motion is one of the most
difficult and technical parts of De rerum natura, and, for that reason,
has hitherto been neglected by commentators. This is the first commentary
to take account of the remarkable discoveries and re-evaluations in the
field of Hellenistic philosophy over the past fifty-five years, which have
been stimulated by the publication of many more Epicurean fragments from
Herculaneum. The philosophical aspects of the poem cannot, however, be
separated from the literary features.. The late Don Fowler possessed rare
and unrivalled expertise in both the workings of Latin poetry and the
intricacies of Epicurean philosophy. His commentary, therefore, sets new
standards for Lucretian studies in its awesome command both of the
literary, philological, and philosophical background to the poem, and of
the relevant modern scholarship. The detailed notation, the clear
interpretations of Greek philosophical terminology, and the systematic
contextualization of Lucretius within the entire Graeco-Roman cultural
tradition enable the reader to achieve a profound understanding of the
great complexity of this text. Lucretius on Atomic Motion makes an
exceptional contribution to the history of the Latin poetic language (for
which Lucretius is of fundamental and innovative importance), yet, at the
same time, manages to be a tool of interpretation of the Graeco-Latin
philosophical debate which infuses Lucretius' verse. Don Fowler's
commentary will be invaluable not only to Lucretian specialists but also
to the whole world of classical scholarship.
Rethinking Reality (2002) by
Duncan F. Kennedy
How deeply into the structure of physical reality do the
effects of our way of representing it reach? To what extent do
constructivist accounts of scientific theorizing involve realist
assumptions, and vice versa? This book provides a lucid and concise
introduction to contemporary debates, taking as its theme the question of
the relationship of representation and reality. It treats in an attractive
and accessible way the historical, philosophical, and literary aspects of
this question. In particular, it explores how the present relates to and
configures claims to scientific knowledge from the past, taking as its
main case study On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura), the poem
on physics written by the Roman poet Lucretius in the 50s B.C.E.
The book engages in a sustained argument about realist assumptions in
scientific and other discourses through detailed analysis and discussion
of some of the most important recent contributions to this debate.
Engaging sympathetically but not uncritically with constructivist accounts
of scientific knowledge, the book takes up a sustained critique of recent
contributions to that debate, including those of Ian Hacking, Evelyn Fox
Keller, Bruno Latour, and Hans-Jörg Rheinberger. What are the implications
of regarding such knowledge as "discovered" or "invented"? How is the
rhetoric of such claims to be identified and the pretentions of those
claims assessed?In what ways can realist and constructivist approaches be
reconciled? How do these considerations affect the way we read scientific
texts from the past and regard them historically?
What emerges is a fresh and challenging assessment of the role of time and
temporal perspective in assessing claims to knowledge in scientific
thought and of the importance of textuality to the history of knowledge. A
wide variety of readers, from classicists and intellectual historians to
epistemologists of science, will enjoy and learn from Rethinking
Reality.
Socrates, Lucretius, Camus: Two Philosophical Traditions on Death (2001) by Fred Wilson
Atoms, Ataraxy, and Allusion: Cross-generic Imitation of the De Rerum Natura in Early Augustan Poetry
(2000) by Annette Lucia Giesecke
The Birth of Physics (2000) by
Michel Serres
The Birth of Physics focuses
on the largest text still intact to reach us from the Ancient Greek
Atomists - Lucretius' De Rerum Natura - but mobilises everything we know
about the related scientific work of the time (Archemides, Epicurus et al)
in order to demand a complete reappraisal of the legacy. Serres argues
that the Greeks had all the mathematical resources to formulate an
adequate picture of the physical principles acting on matter. Crucial to
his reconception of the Atomists' thought is a recognition that their
model of atomic matter is essentially a fluid one - they are describing
the actions of turbulence. Recognition of this fact throws in relief the
force of this ancient thought with respect to the recent disciplines of
chaos and complexity. It explains the continuing presence of Lucretius in
the work of such scientific giants as Nobel Laureates Schroedinger and
Prigogine.
This book is truly a landmark in the study of ancient physics and will
promote not only more work in the area but also stimulate a more general
rebirth of philosophical interest in the ancients.
Lucretius: Selections from De Rerum Natura (1998), Bonnie A. Catto,
ed.
There are few ancient authors as compelling as Lucretius:
scientist, poet, philosopher, passionate observer of nature. While Caesar,
Cicero and Vergil have long vied for first place in the classical
curriculum, Lucretius' treatment of universal human matters rightfully
earns him a place in their company.
Catto's text of Lucretius provides 53 passages in 1294 lines, spanning all
6 books of the epic. Each section features a short introduction,
discussion questions, vocabulary and extensive line-by-line notes on
facing pages and a wide variety of illustrative quotations from both
ancient and modern sources.
Lucretius and the Transformation of Greek Wisdom
(1998) by David N. Sedley
This book studies the structure and origins of De Rerum
Natura (On the nature of things), the great first-century BC poem by
Lucretius. By showing how he worked from the literary model set by the
Greek poet Empedocles but under the philosophical inspiration of the Greek
philosopher Epicurus, the book seeks to characterize Lucretius' unique
poetic achivement. It is addressed to those interested both in Latin
poetry and in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy.
The Criticism of Didactic Poetry: Essays on Lucretius, Virgil, and Ovid (1996) by Alexander Dalzell
Shelley thought all didactic poetry an 'abhorrence,'
and most of the Romantics agreed with this judgment. Critics in this
century have been less dismissive of the genre, but seem puzzled by it.
There has been a tendency to treat a didactic poem as though it were a
kind of lyric, in which the focus of interest lies in the emotions and
feelings of the writer. But didactic poetry has a purpose, history, and
character of its own. This original and important book asks the question,
'What can the practicing critic usefully say about a didactic poem?'
This is not primarily a book about theory, but a guide to practical
criticism combined with a fresh reading of the chosen texts. Through a
close analysis of three of the major didactic poems in the classical
canon, the De rerum natura of Lucretius, the Georgics of Virgil, and the
Ars amatoria of Ovid, Dalzell's aim is to consider these poems as a genre
and to ascertain what tools are available to the critic for their
understanding. He raises questions about the limits of genre criticism,
the relationship of poetry and knowledge, reader-response, and historical
reception. Can there be a poetry of statement? Is all genuine poetry
necessarily fictive in some sense? To what extent is a serious didactic
intent compatible with poetry?
The Criticism of Didactic Poetry is primarily of interest to
classicists. It will also be of great value to scholars of other
literatures who are interested in the history of the genre or in the
theoretical debate about whether poetry can encompass knowledge. This book
is a significant original contribution to the field, with the potential to
influence future scholarly thinking on didactic poetry.
Philodemus and Poetry: Poetic Theory and Practice in Lucretius, Philodemus and Horace (1995) by Dirk Obbink
Myth and Poetry in Lucretius
(1994, 2007) by Monica R. Gale
Lucretius' De Rerum Natura is a philosophical epic,
devoted to the exposition of Epicurean philosophy. Since the system was
materialistic, and highly critical of myth and poetry, Lucretius' use of
mythological language and imagery is surprising. Dr. Gale considers the
poem against the background of earlier and contemporary views of myth, and
suggests that Lucretius was well aware of the tension between his two
roles as poet and philosopher, and attempted to resolve it by developing a
bold and innovative theory of myth and poetry.
Genres and Readers: Lucretius, Love Elegy, Pliny's Encyclopedia (1993) by Gian Biagio Conte
The Song of the Swan (1993) by
Harold Donohue
Creating a new Lucretius of renewed significance, Harold
Donohue rejects the view of Lucretius's poetic isolation and explains the
philological traditions underpinning it. This book opens up an extensive
relation between Callimachus and Lucretius as it compares the nature and
role of poetry in their respective eras in view of the relationship.
Donohue redefines the placement of Lucretius in the poetic activities and
traditions of Rome, examining certain images (swan, water, poetry as
enchantment) which mark him as an adherent to the tradition of
Callimachean poetry.
Lucretius on Love and Sex: A Commentary on De Rerum Natura Iv, 1030-1287, With Prolegomena, Text, and
Translation (1988) by Robert D. Brown
Puns and Poetry in Lucretius De Rerum Natura
(1980) by Jane Snyder
Mode and Value in the De Rerum Natura: A Study in Lucretius' Metrical Language (1978) by John Douglas
Minyard
Epicurean Political Philosophy: The De Rerum Natura of Lucretius (1976) by James H. Nichols
Lucretius, Poet and Philosopher
(1971) by Edward Ernest, Sikes
Parallelisms and Coincidences in Lucretius and Ennius
(1971) by William Augustus Merrill
The Imagery and Poetry of Lucretius
(1969) by David Alexander West
Three Philosophical Poets (1945)
by George Santayana
Roman Portraits: Lucretius, the Poet of Science, Virgil, an
Interpretation, Horace, an
Appreciation, Cicero, His Critics, and Augustus, His Character (1925) by Moses Stephen Slaughter
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