John conington, commentary on vergils aeneid, volume 2, 8. Frank frost abbott, commentary on selected letters. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Now it just so turns out that lucretius might just have put his finger, wo knowing it, on a phenomenon of selforganization in the noto rious doctrine of the swerve clinamen in book 2. Apart from lucretiuss poem almost nothing is known about him. Proem tis sweet, when, down the mighty main, the winds roll up its waste of waters, from the land to watch anothers. But of course i admire lucretius and his predecessor, epicurus and his predecessor because he really buckled down and looked out at the world, and inside himself, and showed in his logic the possible fortitude of the human mind. And we ourselves indeed to make this book, and still to seek the nature of the world and set it down, when once discovered, here in these my countrys leaves. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. Lucretius theory of atomic motion is one of the most difficult and technical parts of. The wonderer inna kunz, master of arts 2016 thesis directed by. Despite the jumping around, this commentary provides and excellent amount of grammatical and vocabulary notes accompanied by an excellent supply of references to similar works of philosophy, mythology, and rhetoric provided in order that the reader may compare and contrast the prevalent ancient views on life and death, atomic and. On the nature of things summary and study guide supersummary.
He shows that this poem, aimed at promoting spiritual tranquillity, confronts two anxieties about death not addressed in epicuruss abstract treatment. It also alludes to his ethical and logical doctrines. The poem is divided into six books or sections and. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like fear of the gods and fear of death. Lucretius on atomic motion don fowler oxford university press. By a comparison of an entry in jeromes fastp and acasualnote in donatuss life of virgil, 2 and an attempt to reconcile their disagreement by considerations of probability, we can arrive at the conclusion that he was born in 94 b. Lucretiuseditions and commentaries 1,024 words article table of contents. These capitula are mainly in latin, but some appear in greek or, in other copies, transliterated greek. Think of translations of lucretius as offering a set of commentaries on his poem. Commentary references to this page 2 john conington, commentary on vergils aeneid, volume 1, 5. In 1661, according to cohen, the only edition of lucretius available with a commentary was that of lambinus. Lucretius begins each book of the poem in the high pathetic style genus grande, amplum, acre kenney 2007. Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient.
By a comparison of an entry in jeromes fastp and acasualnote in donatuss life of virgil,2 and an attempt to reconcile their disagreement by considerations of probability, we can arrive at the conclusion that he was born in 94 b. Lucretiuss most popular book is the way things are. Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card. Don fowler 2007 lucretius on creation and evolution. Study science in order to rid yourself of unneccesary fears, especially of the gods and death. John conington, commentary on vergils aeneid, volume 1, 1. John conington, commentary on vergils aeneid, volume 1, 5. Very little is known of the poets life, though a sense of his character and personality emerges vividly from his poem. The world play is metonymic of lucretiuss cosmology, fomenting constant etymological and linguistic collisions that engender new meanings.
Campbell has written a thoughtful and timely reassessment of lucretius engagement with his teleological opponents, as well as with preso. Book 5 lines 772110 oxford classical monographs by campbell, gordon isbn. On the nature of things is a philosophical work by the roman author titus lucretius carus whom we call lucretius. Home collectionstexts perseus catalog research grants open source about help. Fowler then argues that this slide in sense has a didactic purpose, as lucretius leads us from the comforting thought at the beginning of book 2. Inertia and scientific law in sixteenthcentury commentaries. Latinum lucretius book two page 1 commentary in latin. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. They are in perpetual motion at enormous speed, since in the void they get no resistance from the medium, and when they collide they can only be deflected, not halted. Addenda et corrigenda ada palmer university of chicago the addenda follow the order of the original article ctc 2. The poem is the fullest extant statement of the physical theory of the greek philosopher epicurus. In a fresh interpretation of lucretiusson the nature of things, charles segal reveals this great poetical account of epicurean philosophy as an important and profound document for the history of western attitudes toward death. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature.
On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. Nov 24, 2016 creechs commentary to beginning of book 2. Lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius oxford scholarly editions. Professor judith hallett, classics i seek to create a lucretius text useful for a high school classroom including a commentary on four sections of the poem. Sikes, commentary on the homeric hymns, hymn to aphrodite.
Gordon, the bibliographer of lucretiuss poem, however, lists four commentaries in addition to that of lambinus before that date. Gordon lindsay 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. A couple of lines in book v lines 735 and 736, below help to make that point. Lucretius has 110 books on goodreads with 78773 ratings. Gordon, the bibliographer of lucretius s poem, however, lists four commentaries in addition to that of lambinus before that date. This trend has opened up a space for a new set of questions for read ers of book 5. The opening exposition of book 2 descends into the details of atoms behaviour and qualities. The section in the middle of the first book,5 in which lucretius criticizes rival theories of the world, shows us how epicurus applied his principle. Editions containing works of lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius on atomic motion. Latinum lucretius book two page 1 commentary in latin youtube. It also alludes to his ethical and logical doctrines life. On the nature of things is a philosophical work by the roman author titus lucretius carus whom. Many comments have been posted about on the nature of things.
Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind. What constitutes the distance between humans and other creatures viable. The world play is metonymic of lucretius s cosmology, fomenting constant etymological and linguistic collisions that engender new meanings. Lucretiuss scientific poem on the nature of things c.