Don Fowler - Böcker

Roman Constructions collects together twelve published and unpublished papers on Latin literature and literary theory from the decade 1989 to 1999. The papers share a common 'postmodern' emphasis on the role of the modern scholar and critic in the construction, rather than recreation, of meaning, and attempt to show how this approach works in detailed readings of a number of Latin authors, above all Vergil. The papers deal with such topics as point of view and focalization, intertextuality, historical contextualization, and closure, and each section is introduced by reflections on recent work in these areas subsequent to the original papers. The work makes a plea for classical scholars to accept their historical situatedness and to give up the pretence of scientific objectivity so that they can play a fuller part in the cultural dialogues of the present.

Cultivating the Muse looks beyond the secure and benign images traditionally associated with inspiration in classical literature and scholarship. In contrast to the shapeless collectivity of the Muses in ancient accounts, this collection aspires to redeem their shape in other more vital forms, closer or more distant incarnations of the ever-elusive maiden. Protagonists -- or victims -- in a complex game of cultural exploration, the alternative Muses and muse-like figures of this book are manipulated, abused, or effaced, but at the same time they also advocate or resist their fates and explore their own powers of persuasion. Inspiration is here not so much explored in its traditional cultic dimensions, but rather invoked for its capacity to trigger fervent debates about power, desire, knowledge, identity, and gender in the societies of ancient Greece and Rome.

Lucretius' theory of atomic motion is one of the most difficult and technical parts of De rerum natura, and, for that reason, has hitherto been neglected by commentators. This is the first commentary to take account of the remarkable discoveries and re-evaluations in the field of Hellenistic philosophy over the past fifty-five years, which have been stimulated by the publication of many more Epicurean fragments from Herculaneum. The philosophical aspects of the poem cannot, however, be separated from the literary features.. The late Don Fowler possessed rare and unrivalled expertise in both the workings of Latin poetry and the intricacies of Epicurean philosophy. His commentary, therefore, sets new standards for Lucretian studies in its awesome command both of the literary, philological, and philosophical background to the poem, and of the relevant modern scholarship. The detailed notation, the clear interpretations of Greek philosophical terminology, and the systematic contextualization of Lucretius within the entire Graeco-Roman cultural tradition enable the reader to achieve a profound understanding of the great complexity of this text. Lucretius on Atomic Motion makes an exceptional contribution to the history of the Latin poetic language (for which Lucretius is of fundamental and innovative importance), yet, at the same time, manages to be a tool of interpretation of the Graeco-Latin philosophical debate which infuses Lucretius' verse. Don Fowler's commentary will be invaluable not only to Lucretian specialists but also to the whole world of classical scholarship.

In his new book, The Glen Canyon Country, archaeologist Don D. Fowler shares the history of a place and the peoples who sojourned there over the course of several thousand years. To tell this story, he weaves his personal experience as a student working on the Glen Canyon Salvage Project with accounts of early explorers, geologists, miners, railroad developers, settlers, river runners, and others who entered this magical place. The book details the canyon’s story via historical and scientific summaries, biographical sketches, personal memoir, and previously unpublished photos of the land and its explorers.Readers will experience the intrigue and beauty of the Canyon while following not only the story of an individual but also of Glen Canyon itself. Infused with the breadth and depth of a lifetime of archaeological experience, The Glen Canyon Country is the definitive account of the prehistory and history of a significant river corridor and the surrounding land.