Stephen Harrison is Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures at Oxford University and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His recent publications include Apuleius: A Latin Sophist (2000), Apuleius: Rhetorical Works (ed. 2001) and Texts, Ideas and the Classics (ed. 2001).

"Not least among the advantages of this format is that it challenges scholars typically working in a climate of intensive specialization to synthesize and distill their knowledge to a greater extent than is normally encouraged." (Phoenix, 2009) "Essay after essay conveys the excitement of research into the ancient world, showing that nothing is settled, that there are always new questions and new ideas. The essays are lively and provocative, making representative use of source material and enticing readers to enter into the debate themselves. ... There is little to criticise in this volume. ... This Companion titillates the reader into thinking about Latin literature in excitingly new ways." (Scholia Reviews)"An invaluable source of assistance and instruction for students." (Reference Reviews)"I can warmly recommend this book, both to experts who wish to have an up-to-date account of the latest trends in the study of Latin literature and to undergraduate and graduate students who can mine this volume for suitable paper and even dissertation topics." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

• List of Figures viiiChronological Table ixNotes on Contributors xiiPreface xviReference Works: Abbreviations xviiIntroduction: Constructing Latin Literature 1Stephen HarrisonPART I PERIODS 131 The Early Republic: the Beginnings to 90 BC 15Sander M. Goldberg2 The Late Republican/Triumviral Period: 90–40 BC 31D. S. Levene3 The Augustan Period: 40 BC–AD 14 44Joseph Farrell4 The Early Empire: AD 14–68 58Roland Mayer5 The High Empire: AD 69–200 69Bruce GibsonPART II GENRES 816 Narrative Epic 83Philip Hardie7 Didactic Epic 101Monica Gale8 Roman Tragedy 116Elaine Fantham9 Comedy, Atellane Farce and Mime 130Costas Panayotakis10 Pastoral 148Stephen Heyworth11 Love Elegy 159Roy Gibson12 Satire 174Llewelyn Morgan13 Lyric and Iambic 189Stephen Harrison14 Epigram 201Lindsay C. Watson15 The Novel 213Stephen Harrison16 Dialogues and Treatises 223J. G. F. Powell17 Historiography and Biography 241Christina Shuttleworth Kraus18 Oratory 257D. H. Berry19 Epistolography 270Catharine EdwardsPART III THEMES 28520 Decline and Nostalgia 287Stephen Harrison21 Art and Text 300Jas´ Elsner22 The Passions 319Robert A. Kaster23 Sex and Gender 331A. M. Keith24 Friendship and Patronage 345David Konstan25 Romans and Others 360Yasmin Syed26 Marriage and Family 372Susan Treggiari27 Slavery and Class 385Thomas Habinek28 Centre and Periphery 394Alessandro BarchiesiBibliography 406Index 444