Beginning Latin Poetry Reader (Latin Readers (McGraw-Hill))

click here for more details, find new or used items	Gavin Betts, Daniel Franklin Our price £8.99 New from £3.40 Used from £3.50 Pages: 320 (Paperback) ISBN: 0071458859 Pub: McGraw-Hill Contemporary Pub date: 2006-09-01 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 44796

Reader Reviews:

Excellent modern primer (8/9 people found this helpful)

Time was when there were lots of introductory books about Latin poetry written for the edification (or the boredom) of schoolchildren. Most have fallen out of print, which is a shame -- even though most were rather outdated. Fortunately, here is a brand-new (2007) book which does exactly what it says on the cover. Presented in a modern and user-friendly format it will be useful for classroom students certainly, but also for home learners and adult learners who are going it alone.

The book includes short and easily digestible selections from most of the great poets, plus some funny bits of Plautus and Terence and even some verse epitaphs. Each selection has extensive and easy-to-read explanatory grammar notes making translation easy (there are full English prose translations at the back too). There is a round-up of grammar specific to poetry, plus a short section on the different metres.

I have two minor gripes: first, the explanatory grammar makes translation easy, but does not really get to grips with poetry appreciation, i.e. it doesn't really help the beginner appreciate the use of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, assonance and so forth (these are covered briefly at the back of the book). Also, the section on verse metre, again at the back of the book, is a bit skimpy for anyone who has never yet encountered a hexameter line or a hendecasyllable. My feeling is that the subject of how to read poetry is of crucial importance and should have been placed right at the front of the book rather than relegated to an appendix. Reading poetry is not the same as scanning a line, nor is enjoying Latin poetry the same as being able to make a translation. The question of reading aloud and enjoying the sound of the verse is really key and I would have loved it more if this book had really made a big effort to champion the idea of reading aloud and relishing the music of the words.

On the plus side, unlike all older books, this one rightly and properly refers to *syllable quantity* (heavy and light), and carefully distinguishes between this basic unit of verse metre and the quite different concept of *vowel length* (long and short): two things always woefully confused in older books.

There are also several short essays on related matters such as how the Romans made papyrus scrolls, and the origins of many familiar Latin phrases ("carpe diem" etc). All in all this is an excellent introductory book and I will be using it for my intermediate Latin students in the future.

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