The Satires of Persius (Bristol Classical Paperbacks.) Book

This volume, published in 1968, was the first critical study of Persius in English. Unjustly squeezed from students' reading by the satiric giants Juvenal and Horace, Persius has often been regarded as 'difficult' or 'minor' and marginalized, condemned to 'the schooldust of the ages' by the repeated editing of traditional scholars (Clausen, Kissel). What Dessen offers is a close reading within the framework of the new criticism which led classics in the 1960s. She empasises the distinction between 'persona' and poet and argues that Persius' Satires, far from being just 'difficult', are unified and comprehensible through their controlling metaphors, their dominant imagery and word-repetition. In the heady days of post-structuralism, Dessen's approach, pioneering in its way, remains a beacon of stimulating poetic appreciation and one in which students and scholars of Persius will find a sound basis for their further work. A new elegant Foreword by Kenneth Reckford places Dessen's work in its critical context.Read More