A Commentary on the Satires of Juvenal

Edward Courtney's study of the Satires of Juvenal is the only full-scale commentary on the corpus since the nineteenth century and retains its value for students and scholars a generation after its first appearance in 1980. This commentary incorporates the findings of classical study up to that time including the work of A. E. Housman new discoveries such as those of papyri and the expanding horizons of classical research. Courtney elucidates the form of each poem and the progression of thought and offers many suggestions for the adjustment of traditional punctuation. In addition to basic explanation of the text the commentary offers a detailed understanding of the literary and historical context including thorough treatment of social customs realia development of the Latin language and rhetorical features. The Introduction discusses Juvenal's life his development as a satirist his view of society and morals his style and his handling of metre.