Latin literature, the literature of ancient Rome and of that written in Latin in later eras.
Very little remains of the ritualistic songs and the native poetry of the Romans and Latins before the rise of a literature. The history of the Roman Empire is fundamental to the fabric of this literature: in the first three centuries of its development, the influence of captive Greece was all-pervasive.
The Development of a Classical Style
The close of the First Punic War (c.240 B.C.) marks the beginning of literary work in Rome with the plays of the slave Livius Andronicus Livius Andronicus , fl. 3d cent. B.C., Roman poet, a Greek, b. Tarentum (Taranto). He was captured and made a slave at the fall of Tarentum and was freed by his master, a Livian noble, hence his name. Later he became a teacher and an actor.
..... Click the link for more information. , adapted from the Greek. The epic poet Gnaeus Naevius Naevius, Gnaeus , c.264–195 B.C., Roman poet and dramatist. Born in Campania, he served in the first Punic War (264–241 B.C.), which he evoked in De Bello Punico. Now only available in fragments, this work is considered the first Latin epic.
..... Click the link for more information. also wrote dramas, but he was far surpassed by the greatest of Roman dramatists, Plautus Plautus (Titus Maccius Plautus) , c.254–184 B.C., Roman writer of comedies, b. Umbria. His plays, adapted from those of Greek New Comedy, are popular and vigorous representations of middle-class and lower-class life.
..... Click the link for more information. , a master of comedy. In his Satires Ennius Ennius, Quintus , 239–169? B.C., Latin poet, regarded by the Romans as the father of Latin poetry, b. Calabria. His birthplace was the meeting point of three civilizations—Oscan, Greek, and Latin—and Ennius learned to speak the languages of these
..... Click the link for more information. introduced the hexameter into Latin; Cato the Elder Cato the Elder or Cato the Censor, Lat. Cato Major or Cato Censorius, 234–149 B.C., Roman statesman and moralist, whose full name was Marcus Porcius Cato.
..... Click the link for more information. opposed the hellenizing group, to which Ennius belonged, and wrote his works in as rude a Latin as possible. However, his efforts had little effect and the works of Terence Terence (Publius Terentius Afer) , b. c.185 or c.195 B.C., d. c.159 B.C., Roman writer of comedies, b. Carthage. As a boy he was a slave of Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, who brought him to Rome, educated him, and gave him his freedom.
..... Click the link for more information. , Greek in scene and origin, manifest the tremendous interchange of Greek and Latin writing.
The 1st cent. B.C., the last era of the Roman republic, produced some of the greatest figures in Latin literature—the encyclopedist Varro Varro, Marcus Terentius, 116 B.C.–27? B.C., Roman man of letters. Known as the most erudite man and the most prolific writer of his times, Varro is estimated to have written about 620 volumes.
..... Click the link for more information. , the statesmen and prose masters Cicero Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero) or Tully, 106 B.C.–43 B.C., greatest Roman orator, famous also as a politician and a philosopher.
Life
Cicero studied law and philosophy at Rome, Athens, and Rhodes.
..... Click the link for more information. and Julius Caesar Caesar, Julius (Caius Julius Caesar), 100? B.C.–44 B.C., Roman statesman and general.
Rise to Power
Although he was born into the Julian gens, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome, Caesar was always a member of the democratic or
..... Click the link for more information. , the poets Lucretius Lucretius (Titus Lucretius Carus) , c.99 B.C.–c.55 B.C., Roman poet and philosopher. Little is known about his life. A chronicle of St. Jerome speaks of the loss of his reason through taking a love potion.
..... Click the link for more information. and Catullus Catullus (Caius Valerius Catullus) , 84? B.C.–54? B.C., Roman poet, b. Verona. Of a well-to-do family, he went c.62 B.C. to Rome. He fell deeply in love, probably with Clodia, sister of Cicero's opponent Publius Clodius.
..... Click the link for more information. , and the historian Sallust Sallust (Caius Sallustius Crispus) , 86 B.C.–c.34 B.C., Roman historian. He was tribune of the people (52 B.C.) and praetor (46). He was ejected (50) from the senate ostensibly for adultery, but more probably because of his partisanship for Caesar.
..... Click the link for more information. . Vergil Vergil or Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) , 70 B.C.–19 B.C., Roman poet, b. Andes dist., near Mantua, in Cisalpine Gaul; the spelling Virgil is not found earlier than the 5th cent. A.D.
..... Click the link for more information. , the greatest of Latin epic poets, exemplifies a new atmosphere in the Augustan age, with his celebration—and somber questioning—of the new empire. In his epodes, odes, and satires, the poet Horace Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) , 65 B.C.–8 B.C., Latin poet, one of the greatest of lyric poets, b. Venusia, S Italy. He studied at Rome and Athens and, joining Brutus and the republicans, fought (42 B.C.) at Philippi.
..... Click the link for more information. brought the Latin lyric to perfection, while the elegy was cultivated by Tibullus Tibullus (Albius Tibullus) , c.55? B.C.–19 B.C., Roman elegiac poet, b. Pedum, near Praeneste. Probably of the equestrian order, he was a friend of Messala, whom he accompanied on campaign.
..... Click the link for more information. , Propertius Propertius, Sextus , c.50 B.C.–c.16 B.C., Roman elegiac poet, b. Umbria. He was a member of the circle of Maecenas. A master of the Latin elegy, he wrote with vigor, passion, and sincerity.
Bibliography
See translations by C.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Ovid Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) , 43 B.C.–A.D. 18, Latin poet, b. Sulmo (present-day Sulmona), in the Apennines. Although trained for the law, he preferred the company of the literary coterie at Rome.
..... Click the link for more information. . The notable historian of the age was Livy Livy (Titus Livius) , 59 B.C.–A.D. 17, Roman historian, b. Patavium (Padua), probably of noble family. He lived most of his life in Rome. The breadth of his education is apparent in his evident familiarity with the ancient Greek and Latin authors.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Post-classical Literature
During the first half of the 1st cent. A.D., Latin literature in its classical form was in decline. The works of Seneca Seneca, the elder (Lucius, or Marcus, Annaeus Seneca) , c.60 B.C.–c.A.D. 37, Roman rhetorician and writer, b. Corduba (present-day Córdoba), Spain; grandfather of Lucan and father of Seneca the younger.
..... Click the link for more information. , Lucan Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus) , A.D. 39–A.D. 65, Latin poet, b. Córdoba, Spain, nephew of the philosopher Seneca. At first in Nero's favor, he was later forced to kill himself when his part in a plot against the emperor was discovered.
..... Click the link for more information. , Persius Persius or Aulus Persius Flaccus , A.D. 34–A.D. 62, Roman satirical poet, b. Etruria. A member of a distinguished family, he went to Rome in boyhood, was educated there, and came under the influence of the Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus
..... Click the link for more information. , and Statius Statius, Publius Papinius , c.A.D. 45–c.A.D. 96, Latin poet, b. Naples. A favorite of Emperor Domitian, he won the poetry prize at an annual festival under Domitian's auspices but later was an unsuccessful competitor at the Capitoline contest in Rome.
..... Click the link for more information. typify a period in which the masters, both Latin and Greek, were imitated. Among the most original poets were Martial Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis) , c.A.D. 40–c.A.D. 104, Roman epigrammatic poet, b. Bilbilis, Spain. After A.D. 64 he lived in Rome for many years, winning fame by his wit and poetic gifts.
..... Click the link for more information. and Juvenal Juvenal (Decimus Junius Juvenalis) , fl. 1st to 2d cent. A.D., Roman satirical poet. His verse established a model for the satire of indignation, in contrast to the less harsh satire of ridicule of Horace.
..... Click the link for more information. , celebrated for their satiric writings. Petronius Petronius , d. c.A.D. 66, Roman satirist, known as Petronius Arbiter because of his now generally accepted identity with Gaius Petronius, to whom Tacitus refers as arbiter elegantiae in the court of Nero.
..... Click the link for more information. , Frontinus Frontinus (Sextus Julius Frontinus) , fl. A.D. 74, Roman administrator and writer. As governor of Britain from A.D. 74 or A.D. 75 to A.D. 78, he reduced the Silures, a rebellious tribe in SE Wales, and pacified Britain within its borders; it was this work,
..... Click the link for more information. , Pliny the Elder Pliny the Elder (Caius Plinius Secundus) , c.A.D. 23–A.D. 79, Roman naturalist, b. Cisalpine Gaul. He was a friend and fellow soldier of Vespasian, and he dedicated his great work to Titus.
..... Click the link for more information. , Pliny the Younger (see under Pliny the Elder), and Tacitus Tacitus (Cornelius Tacitus), c.A.D. 55–c.A.D. 117, Roman historian. Little is known for certain of his life. He was a friend of Pliny the Younger and married the daughter of Cnaeus Julius Agricola. In A.D.
..... Click the link for more information. were the chief writers of prose; Suetonius Suetonius (Caius Suetonius Tranquillus) , c.A.D. 69–c.A.D. 140, Roman biographer. Little is known about his life except that he was briefly the private secretary of Emperor Hadrian.
..... Click the link for more information. exemplified the richness of historical and biographical writing under the Principate, while Quintilian Quintilian (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus) , c.A.D. 35–c.A.D. 95, Roman rhetorician, b. Calagurris (now Calahorra), Spain. He taught rhetoric at Rome (Pliny the Younger and possibly Tacitus were among his pupils) and, as a public teacher, was endowed with a salary
..... Click the link for more information. brought classical literary criticism to its greatest development.
In the 2d cent. Marcus Fronto Fronto (Marcus Cornelius Fronto) , fl. 2d cent., Roman teacher and rhetorician, b. Numidia, Africa. Antoninus Pius made him consul in 143. A successful teacher and government official, Fronto was an admirer of the early Latin writers and tried unsuccessfully to bring
..... Click the link for more information. distinguished himself as an orator; his pupil Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus) , 121–180, Roman emperor, named originally Marcus Annius Verus. He was a nephew of Faustina, the wife of Antoninus Pius, who adopted him. Marcus married Antoninus' daughter, another Faustina.
..... Click the link for more information. gained fame both as a ruler and as one of the masters of the Latin essay. In the 3d and 4th cent. the writings of Ausonius Ausonius (Decimus Magnus Ausonius) , c.310–c.395, Latin poet and man of letters, b. Bordeaux. He tutored Gratian, who, when he ascended the throne, made Ausonius prefect of Gaul, and finally consul (379). When Gratian died, Ausonius returned to Bordeaux.
..... Click the link for more information. and Avienus extended beyond classical studies, developing traditional themes to deal with everyday life and the world of nature. Claudian Claudian (Claudius Claudianus) , c.370–c.404, last notable Latin classic poet. Probably born in Alexandria, he flourished at court under Arcadius and Honorius.
..... Click the link for more information. is considered the best of the late poets. Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus , c.330–c.400, Roman historian, b. Antioch. After retiring from a successful military career, he wrote a history of the Roman Empire as a sequel to that of Tacitus, his model. The history, in 31 books, covered the years from A.D.
..... Click the link for more information. was a noted historian. The philological scholars of the empire were numerous. These included Aulus Gellius Gellius, Aulus , fl. 2d cent., Roman writer. He was a lawyer who spent at least a year in Athens and wrote Noctes Atticae [Attic nights], a collection of discussions of law, antiquities, and sundry other subjects in 20 books (of which 19 and a fraction
..... Click the link for more information. , Terentianus, Macrobius Macrobius , fl. c.430, Latin writer and philosopher. His Saturnalia, a dialogue in seven books chiefly concerned with a literary evaluation of Vergil, incorporates valuable quotations from other writers.
..... Click the link for more information. , Martianus Capella Capella, Martianus , fl. 5th cent.?, Latin writer, b. Carthage. His one famous work, The Marriage of Mercury and Philology, also called the Satyricon and Disciplinae, is a long allegory about the liberal arts.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Priscian Priscian (Priscianus Caesariensis) , fl. 500, Latin grammarian, b. Caesarea in Mauretania. Priscian taught grammar at Constantinople. His Commentarii grammatici,
..... Click the link for more information. .
As the classical inspiration died, the tradition of Latin literature was borrowed from and carried forward in Christian writing. Prudentius Prudentius (Aurelius Clemens Prudentius) , b. 348, Christian Latin poet, b. Spain. He wrote a number of hymns, occasional Christian lyrics, and poems on saints. Although he held a high place at the Roman court, he eventually retired to devote himself to religion.
..... Click the link for more information. attempted to build a Christian style on classical models, but failed. The Latin language Latin language, member of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. Latin was first encountered in ancient times as the language of Latium, the region of central Italy in which Rome is located (see Italic languages).
..... Click the link for more information. became the standard language of the West and by far the greater bulk of medieval literature as well as records, documents, and letters was written in Latin (see patristic literature patristic literature, Christian writings of the first few centuries. They are chiefly in Greek and Latin; there is analogous writing in Syriac and in Armenian. The first period of patristic literature (1st–2d cent.) includes the works of St. Clement I, St.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Medieval Latin literature Medieval Latin literature, literary works written in the Latin language during the Middle Ages.
The Decline of Rome
With the slow dissolution over centuries of the Roman Empire in the West, Latin writing dwindled and changed like the rest of Roman
..... Click the link for more information. ; Roman law Roman law, the legal system of Rome from the supposed founding of the city in 753 B.C. to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in A.D. 1453; it was later adopted as the basis of modern civil law.
..... Click the link for more information. ).
The Renaissance
The literature of the Renaissance Renaissance [Fr.,=rebirth], term used to describe the development of Western civilization that marked the transition from medieval to modern times. This article is concerned mainly with general developments and their impact in the fields of science, rhetoric,
..... Click the link for more information. represents a conscious attempt to recapture the classical spirit. Most learned people cultivated Latin, and many of them succeeded in writing a Latin style that stands comparison with classical Latin models. Petrarch Petrarch or Francesco Petrarca , 1304–74, Italian poet and humanist, one of the great figures of Italian literature. He spent his youth in Tuscany and Avignon and at Bologna.
..... Click the link for more information. , Boccaccio Boccaccio, Giovanni , 1313–75, Italian poet and storyteller, author of the Decameron. Born in Paris, the illegitimate son of a Tuscan merchant and a French woman, he was educated at Certaldo and Naples by his father, who wanted him to take up commerce
..... Click the link for more information. , Poggio Bracciolini Poggio Bracciolini, Gian Francesco , 1380–1459, Italian humanist. A secretary in the Roman curia, he later became chancellor and historiographer of the republic of Florence.
..... Click the link for more information. , Poliziano Poliziano, Angelo , or Politian , 1454–94, Italian poet, philologist, and humanist. Of middle-class origin, he was given a classical education, completed under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici.
..... Click the link for more information. , Pontano Pontano, Giovanni , 1426–1503, Italian poet, historian, and statesman, who used also the Latin form Jovianus Pontanus. He was protected by Alfonso of Aragón, who made him his chancellor of Naples (1447) and later his secretary.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Pius II Pius II , 1405–64, pope (1458–64), an Italian named Enea Silvio de' Piccolomini (often in Latin, Aeneas Silvius), renamed Pienza after him, b. Corsigniano; successor of Calixtus III.
..... Click the link for more information. were accomplished Latin writers. Erasmus Erasmus or Desiderius Erasmus [Gr. Erasmus, his given name, and Lat., Desiderius=beloved; both are regarded as the equivalent of Dutch Gerard, Erasmus' father's name], 1466?–1536, Dutch humanist, b. Rotterdam.
..... Click the link for more information. violently attacked the ubiquitous Ciceronianism of the time.
Later Latin Literature
Good Latin poets have been fewer since the Renaissance, but George Buchanan Buchanan, George, 1506–82, Scottish humanist. Educated at St. Andrews and Paris, he became (1536) tutor to James V's illegitimate son James Stuart (later earl of Murray). He was imprisoned (1539) for satirizing the Franciscans but escaped to the Continent.
..... Click the link for more information. and John Milton Milton, John, 1608–74, English poet, b. London, one of the greatest poets of the English language.
Early Life and Works
The son of a wealthy scrivener, Milton was educated at St. Paul's School and Christ's College, Cambridge.
..... Click the link for more information. are among the exceptions. Among the great scholars whose major works were written in Latin were Thomas More More, Sir Thomas (Saint Thomas More), 1478–1535, English statesman and author of Utopia, celebrated as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church. He received a Latin education in the household of Cardinal Morton and at Oxford.
..... Click the link for more information. , Baruch Spinoza Spinoza, Baruch or Benedict , 1632–77, Dutch philosopher, b. Amsterdam.
Spinoza's Life
He belonged to the community of Jews from Spain and Portugal who had fled the Inquisition.
..... Click the link for more information. , Francis Bacon Bacon, Francis, 1561–1626, English philosopher, essayist, and statesman, b. London, educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Gray's Inn. He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper to Queen Elizabeth I.
..... Click the link for more information. , Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz Leibniz or Leibnitz, Gottfried Wilhelm, Baron von , 1646–1716, German philosopher and mathematician, b. Leipzig.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Isaac Newton Newton, Sir Isaac, 1642–1727, English mathematician and natural philosopher (physicist), who is considered by many the greatest scientist that ever lived.
..... Click the link for more information. . Latin literature, as such, is nearly dead, for its cultivation is limited to the ever-narrowing circles of classicists and to the Roman Catholic Church, which adds new matter to the liturgy only rarely and confines use of extraliturgical Latin to official, nonliterary documents.
Bibliography
See J. W. Duff, A Literary History of Rome (3d ed., repr. 1979); E. J. Kenney, ed., Cambridge History of Classical Literature, Vol. II (1982); J. Sullivan, Literature and Politics in the Age of Nero (1985); B. Baldwin, ed., An Anthology of Later Latin Literature (1987).