Latin literature
Latin was the language of the ancient Romans as well as being the lingua franca of Western and Central Europe throughout the Middle Ages.
In 235 BC, Gnaeus Naevius, a Roman citizen, continued this tradition of producing dramas that were reworkings of Greek originals, or fabula palliata, and he expanded on this by producing a new type of drama, fabula praetexta, or tragedies based on Roman myths and history, starting in 222 BC.
Quintus Ennius wrote an historical epic, the Annals (soon after 200 BC), describing Roman history from the founding of Rome to his own time.
These three writers rarely used episodes from Roman history, but they wrote Latin versions of tragic themes that the Greeks had already written about.
Plautus scattered songs throughout his plays and added to the humor with puns and wisecracks, as well as comic actions by the actors.
[citation needed] Early Latin literature ended with Gaius Lucilius, who created a new kind of poetry in his 30 books of Satires (2nd century BC).
Cicero's works on oratory are our most valuable Latin sources for ancient theories on education and rhetoric.
Caesar wrote commentaries on the Gallic and civil wars in a straightforward style to justify his actions as a general.
The lyrics of Catullus, whom the writer Aulus Gellius[9] called "the most elegant of poets", are noted for their emotional intensity.
Contemporary with Catullus, Lucretius expounded the Epicurean philosophy in a long poem, De rerum natura.
Referred to as "the most learned of the Romans" by Quintillian,[10] he wrote about a remarkable variety of subjects, from religion to poetry, but only his writings on agriculture and the Latin language are extant in their complete form.
The emperor Augustus took a personal interest in the literary works produced during his years of power from 27 BC to AD 14.
Virgil published his pastoral Eclogues, the Georgics, and the Aeneid, an epic poem describing the events that led to the creation of Rome.
Although Virgil died before he could put the finishing touches on his poem, it was soon regarded as the greatest work of Latin literature.
During the reign of Nero from 54 to 68, the Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote a number of dialogues and letters on such moral themes as mercy and generosity.
His nephew Lucan wrote the Pharsalia (about 60), an epic poem describing the civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
It describes the adventures of various low-class characters in absurd, extravagant, and dangerous situations, often in the world of petty crime.
Epic poems included the Argonautica of Gaius Valerius Flaccus, following the story of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece, the Thebaid of Statius, following the conflict of Oedipus's sons and the Seven Against Thebes, and the Punica of Silius Italicus, following the Second Punic War and the invasions of Hannibal into Italy.
This purified language continued to be used as the lingua franca among the learned throughout Europe, with the great works of Descartes, Francis Bacon, and Baruch Spinoza all being composed in Latin.
Among the last important books written primarily in Latin prose were the works of Swedenborg (d. 1772), Linnaeus (d. 1778), Euler (d. 1783), Gauss (d. 1855), and Isaac Newton (d. 1727), and Latin remains a necessary skill for modern readers of great early modern works of linguistics, literature, and philosophy.
Examples of these were Anthony Alsop and Vincent Bourne, who were noted for the ingenious way that they adapted their verse to describing details of life in the 18th century while never departing from the purity of Latin diction.
A large part of rhetoric consists of the ability to present a familiar idea in a striking new manner that attracts attention.
Except in epic poetry, they tended to use familiar vocabulary, giving it poetic value by combinations of words and by rich sound effects.
