Fiction, Fiction & Literature Classics, Fiction Subjects

The Satyricon (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Name: The Satyricon (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)
Author: Petronius
ISBN: 9780140448054

by Petronius, J. P. Sullivan (Translator), Helen Morales (Introduction), Helen Morales (Noted by)

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Overview

"The Satyricon" is the most celebrated work of fiction to have survived from the ancient world. It can be described as the first realistic novel, the father of the picaresque genre. It recounts the sleazy progress of a pair of literate scholars as they wander through the cites of the southern Mediterranean, encountering en route type-figures whom the author wishes to satirize—a teacher in higher education, a libidinous priest, a vulgar freedman turned millionaire, a manic poet, a superstitious sea-captain, a femme fatale. The novel has fascinated the literary world of Europe ever since, evoking praise for its elegant and hilarious description of the underside of Roman society, but also condemnation for some of its lubricous subjects; it also formed the subject of Fellini's controversial film. This new translation captures the gaiety of the original, whilst the introduction and detailed notes will provide serious students with a comprehensive and useful guide to the purposes of the novel.

Synopsis

The marvelously entertaining parody of imperial Rome

One of the most outrageous and strikingly modern works to have survived from the ancient world, The Satyricon offers an unmatched satirical portrait of the age of Nero, in all its excesses and chaos. It recounts the adventures of Encolpius and his companions as they travel around Italy, encountering courtesans, priestesses, con men, brothel-keepers, pompous professors, and, above all, Trimalchio, the nouveau riche millionaire whose debauched feasting and pretentious vulgarity make him one of the great comic characters in literature.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About the Author, Petronius

Petronius Arbiter (c.2766 A.D.) was a Roman courtier under the reign of Nero. Andrew Brown is a translator whose recent works include The Corsican Brothers and Letters to Pauline.