Product Description

Seneca's Moral Epistles is an excellent introduction to Seneca's moral and practical philosophy for intermediate and advanced students of Latin. This redesigned reprint of the 1985 Scholar's Press edition is an attractive, affordable, and user-friendly edition.

Seneca's Moral Epistles offers an intriguing selection in Latin of 40 letters of Seneca on philosophical and practical topics ranging from the lofty ('On Integrating Knowledge' and 'God Within You') to the nitty-gritty -- debauchery at resort baths ('Baiae and Vice') and the woes of over-training ('Against Strenuous Physical Exercise'). These letters provide a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of Rome in the Empire and one man's contemplation of it.

This edition includes:
* Introduction on Seneca's live and work, philosophy, style
* Chronologies: historical and of Seneca's extant works
* Selected bibliography
* Latin text of 40 Senecan letters with facing-page notes
* Vocabulary

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

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Selections From The Aeneid
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Greek Grammar & Pronunciation
Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin
Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero
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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436146 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: Latin
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Language Notes
Text: Latin, English

About the Author
Seneca's is a Roman voice not often heard: he condemns slavery, and denounces the gladiatorial combats and the excesses for which the Roman Empire became notorious. Living in an era of corruption and tyranny, Seneca came forth as a 'physician of souls,' eager to impart ethical and moral precepts that would enable his fellow men to overcome their weaknesses and attain true happiness. As a representative of stoicism, Seneca is the precursor of Paul's ethical system, vocabulary, and analogies.

Also available:

Vergil's Aeneid, 10 & 12: Pallas & Turnus - ISBN 0865164282
Ovid: Metamorphoses, Book I - ISBN 0865160406

Customer Reviews

Fantastic! (but not quite perfect...)
Seneca is a terrific read. Everything about his moral epistles--their style, their topics--evokes the chaotic, whirling, world-out-of-balance picture associated with the Roman Empire in the 1st century A.D. One hears in his voice the tension of a man earnestly trying to be a "healer of souls" while acknowledging that in maddening times, it's hard enough work maintaining the health of one's own. In short, his epistles are good reading for the modern student staring out on a world that seems to be spinning out of any one man or nation's control. Seneca probably would enjoy a greater readership in schools if it weren't for that taint of "Silver Age" attached to the literature of his generation.

He is not, after all, difficult to read. One quickly gets the hang of his style--his fondness for the pithy remark, unexpected reversal, or direct address to the reader; one learns to take the platitudes along with the more penetrating and insightful passages. For the Latin teacher (or independent yet highly-motivated student) who'd like to give Seneca a try in the classroom, Motto's edition is a congenial one. The selection of letters is numerous (40 or so) and wide-ranging. Chapter vocabularies, which include what I would call some elementary words, save the beginning or intermediate student time not having to flip to the glossary in the back. I find fault only with the commentary, which seems unusually sparse. In some places, it hardly numbers four or five lines. Teachers must therefore be prepared to explain a lot of grammar and syntax, not to mention content, to their students. But even with that shortcoming, I hope teachers and students alike will enjoy and treasure this edition.