Sidonius: Letters Book 5, Part 1: Text, Translation and Commentary

Studies the first half of Sidonius' fifth book of letters from a philological, literary and historical perspective

Sidonius stands at a crossroads between the last days of the Roman Empire in the Auvergne and Provence and the emergence of Burgundians and Visigoths as territorial powers. An aristocrat, politician, author and bishop, he was involved in and bore witness to this takeover. His literary prose is characterised by a floweriness which at times makes his letters ambiguous and ostentatiously obscure. This volume provides readers with a tool to understand this convoluted prose, enabling them to see the troubled political waters of the fifth century through the eyes of Sidonius.

The book contains a new critical edition of the first ten letters of Book 5 of Sidonius' Epistulae, together with an accessible English translation and a philological and historical commentary. It provides a general introduction to the book as a whole and a detailed exploration of the letters that covers literary themes, models, prosopography, dating problems and prose rhythm. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it addresses historical questions relevant to the specific letters and to Sidonius' position at the centre of the Romano-Gallic aristocracy.

Key features:

• Provides the first commentary on Book 5 of Apollinaris' Letters.
• Includes a newly edited Latin text and a new English translation.
• Contributes to an overall understanding of Sidonius' literary output as a whole.
• Offers a comprehensive and innovative study of key historical data, especially prosopography and dating of the letters.

Keywords: Sidonius Apollinaris; Late Antiquity; Latin Literature; Gaul; History of the Later Roman Empire; Latin Linguistics.

Subject: Classics & Ancient History

Author: Giulia Marolla
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 05/18/2023
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.57lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781399510776

About the Author

Dr Marolla is a cultrice della materia in Latin Literature, Late Latin Literature and History of the Latin Language at the University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'. She gained her PhD in 2021 from the Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino, Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici. Her publications include articles in Invigilata Lucernis, eClassica, Vetera Christianorum and Storicamente Laboratorio di Storia, and a book chapter, 'Jerome's Two Libraries', in Berardi, Bruno & Fizzarotti (eds), On the Track of the Books: Scribes, Libraries and Textual Transmission, Beiträge (De Gruyter, 2019).