This volume fulfills the need for a student edition of Horace's literary epistles, which have recently been the subject of renewed scholarly interest. Professor Rudd provides a clear introduction to each of the three poems: the Epistles to Augustus, to Florus, and to the Pisones (the so-called "Ars Poetica"). He sketches the historical context in which the poems were written and comments on their structure and purpose. He also discusses their literary preoccupations: the relations of poet and patron and the role of poetry in the state (Augustus), the problems of a professedly tiring poet (Florus), and the presentation of classical poetic theory ("Ars Poetica"). He notes Horace's influence on later criticism, drawing attention in one section to one of Alexander Pope's Imitations. He also addresses problems of grammar and style, focusing on linguistic difficulties and the subtle movement of the poet's thought.

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Ross Kilpatrick discusses how the three epistles are related, what the roles of the three addressees are, how the themes and views expressed relate to them, and whether there is in the Ars Poetica a single unifying theme.

This is the first of Professor Brink's three-volume commentary on Horace's literary epistles, originally published in 1963. The volumes' chief focus is the primary source of Horatian literary criticism: the Epistula ad Pisones, known as the Ars Poetica to most ancient and modern readers. Volume I of Horace on Poetry looks at the structure of the Ars Poetica, Neoptolemus and literary criticism, and the criticism and satire of Horace. Professor Brink's overriding argument is that the common dismissal of the Ars as a disorderly piece fails to take into account Horace's architectonic style. For Brink, this disorder is itself part of an intrinsic poetic design. The complete three-volume commentary constitutes one of the fullest scholarly commentaries on Horace's critical writing. It will continue to be of great value to all with an interest in this much-debated subject.