Lucretius and the Diatribe Against the Fear of Death: De Rerum Natura III 830-1094

144 Pages·1976·2.666 MB·English

by  Barbara Price Wallach

LUCRETIUS AND THE DIATRIBE
AGAINST
THE FEAR OF DEATH
MNEMOSYNE
BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BATAVA
COLLEGERUNT
W. DEN BOER • W. J. VERDENIUS • R. E. H. WESTENDORF BOERMA
BIBLIOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT
W. J. VERDENIUS, HOMERUSLAAN 53, ZEIST
SUPPLEMENTUM QUADRAGESIMUM
BARBARA PRICE WALLACH
LUCRETIUS AND THE DIATRIBE
AGAINST
THE FEAR OF DEATH
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXVI
LUCRETIUS AND THE DIATRIBE
AGAINST
THE FEAR OF DEATH
DE RERUM NATURA III 830-1094
BY
BARBARA PRICE WALLACH
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXVI
ISBN 90 04 04564 3
Copyright 1976 by E. /. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche
or any other means without wrillen permisson from the publisher
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
TO LUITPOLD

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface IX
I. Introduction r
II. Book III, 830-1094: The Diatribe against the Fear of
Death . . II
III. Epilogue . IIO
Bibliography II7
Index 124

PREFACE
This study is the result of the investigations which I pursued
in writing my doctoral dissertation, entitled A History of the
Diatribe from its Origin up to the First Century B.C. and a Study
of the Influence of the Genre upon Lucretius III, 830-ro94 (University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1974; Professor Miroslav Marco-
vich, chairman). Chapters I and II are expanded versions of
sections of that dissertation, and deal specifically with the diatribe
and with rhetoric in Lucretius; chapter III, the Epilogue (not a
part of my dissertation), is a discussion of various opinions which
have been advanced concerning the purpose of poetry and the use
of rhetoric in it, topics of obvious importance to anyone under-
taking an examination of the use of rhetoric by an ancient poet.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to
Professor Laura V. Sumner of Mary Washington College, Fre-
dericksburg, Virginia, with whom I began the study of Roman
epic poetry; to Professor M. Marcovich, who acted as my thesis
director; to Professor Hans Herter of Bonn, West Germany,
who read my dissertation and kindly made some suggestions;
and to Professor Luitpold Wallach, my husband and former
graduate advisor, to whom this monograph is dedicated.
Urbana, Illinois Barbara P. Wallach
March, 1975