Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Jul 03, 2010 in antiquity the classic account of the eruption, and of a small part of its devastation, occurs in a pair of letters written by pliny the younger 61 ad c. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Pliny to cornelius tacitus thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. I have some three thousand books in my house and now and then, looking at the serried shelves, i realise that i havent one i want to read. Pliny the younger simple english wikipedia, the free. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny flashcards on quizlet.
Pliny the younger inherited the estate of his uncle. Epistulae pliny the epistulae are a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. His latest book, on conan doyle, was published in 2011 by princeton university press. Their contribution is all the more valuable because this is the first book length introduction to plinys collection of letters to be published. He is the author of the memoir an open book 2003 and several collections of essays, including book by book 2005 and classics for pleasure 2007. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.
Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. The letters of the younger pliny have come down to us in 10 books, 9 of his personal letters, and book 10 containing his official correspondence with the emperor trajan. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. Pliny was a great letter writer and corresponded with historians such as tacitus and suetonius. Investigating the authenticity of pliny the youngers letter to trajan concerning the christians. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Letters of pliny the younger to the historian tacitus. Providing a series of fascinating views of imperial rome, the letters of the younger pliny also offer one of the fullest selfportraits to survive from classical times. On one such occasion i caught sight of the letters of pliny the younger loeb library.
Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy around 61 ad, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and his wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. There are 247 surviving personal letters and 121 official memoranda to the emperor trajan. This is the first general introduction to plinys letters published in any language, combining close readings with broader context and adopting a fresh and innovative approach to reading the letters as an artistically structured collection. Someone sleep came to readily, not unheardof fo quit, right in the. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. Pliny the younger s letters provide glimpses into the pax romana. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on august 24th, 79 ad. Fresh doubts on authenticity of plinys letter about the. Michael dirda is a fulbright fellowship recipient and pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the washington post book world. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. An application of a profilebased method for authorship verification.
Model or antimodel pliny on uncle pliny project muse johns. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. Pliny the younger has 146 books on goodreads with 6614 ratings. Gibson, reading the letters of sidonius by the book, in j. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Originally intended as letters for historian tacitus, to describe and perhaps glorify the. Page 378 they affirmed, however, that this had been the sunywhether of their crime or their delusion. This political message has inspired several articles, notably k. The letters of pliny the younger, selected and edited together with a companion to plinys letters. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. Note on the text the text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. He earnestly requested me with many tears, and even with all the eloquence of silent sorrow, to intercede for him.
Constructing relatedness in plinys letters, ca 27 2008 20330. Hammonds pliny the youngers views on government,z and its connection with the coinlegends of the period with their emphasis on security, liberty restored, and good fortune. Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on plinys famous country villas and his relationships with pliny the elder and tacitus. Pliny the youngers letter to trajan regarding the christians is a crucial subject for the studies on early christianity. Roy gibson and ruth morello have coauthored an elegant, clear and sophisticated introduction to plinys letters. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died.
The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. Book 10 of pliny the youngers letters consist of his correspondence with the emperor trajan when he was governor. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. He was the grandson of senator and landowner gaius caecilius, revered his uncle, pliny the elder who at this time was extremely famous around the roman empire. Ad 611 was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. Postea norbanus omnibus diebus cognitionis interfuit eandemque usque ad extremum vel constantiam vel audaciam pertulit. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Books by pliny the younger author of the letters of the. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Jun 24, 2010 pliny the youngers correspondence with numerous friendsbesides tacitus, he also knew the historian suetonius and the poet martialprovides one of the great records of what life was like during roman times. It would be a long story, and of no importance, were i to recount too particularly by what accident i who am not at all fond of society supped lately with a person, who in his own opinion lives in splendour combined with economy. The collection includes his wellknown letters about the eruption of vesuvius 6.
Roman senator and writer, gaius plinius caecilius secundus otherwise known as pliny the younger, who was seventeen years old at the time of the eruption, had witnessed the vesuvius eruption of 79 ad from the home of his uncle in misenum and managed to write a very accurate account some 25 years later. Pliny the elder, after all, was pliny the youngers mothers brother and. Pliny s second letter to tacitus tells how pliny himself barely escaped. The present recess from business affords you leisure to give, and me to receive, instruction. Gaius or caius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius or caius plinius caecilius 6163 in como ca. Pliny the younger, or gaius plinius caecilius secundus, was the nephew and adopted son of pliny the elder, the author of the famous and importantly influential natural history in thirtyseven. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of. My dear tacitus, you ask me to write you something about the death of my uncle so that the account you transmit.
Pdf the publication of plinys letters 2015 john bodel. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on august 24th, 79 ad. He was only eight years old when his father, caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his uncle, the elder pliny, author of the natural history. After serving as tribune in ad 91 and praetor in ad 93, emperor trajan appointed him governor of bithynia. The third book i wish to speak about i came upon entirely by accident. Plinys lively and very personal letters address an astonishing range of topics, from a deeply moving account of his uncles death in the eruption that engulfed pompeii, to observations on the early christiansa desperate. Pliny the younger, the roman governor of bithynia and pontus now in modern turkey wrote a letter to emperor trajan around ad 112 and asked for counsel on dealing with the early christian community. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on pliny s famous country villas and his relationships with pliny the elder and tacitus. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. From the eruption of mount vesuvius to his correspondence with emperor trajan, these letters are a treasure. Noguerol 2003 to read the letters of book 6 as a freudian roman familial is.
A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. Vesuvius letters, perhaps in response to negative rumors then circulating cf. This thesis examines the letters in the first nine books of pliny the younger that focus on poetry, oratory, and. He was only eight years old when his father caecilius died, and he was adopted by his uncle, the elder pliny, author of the natural history. In antiquity the classic account of the eruption, and of a small part of its devastation, occurs in a pair of letters written by pliny the younger 61 ad c.
The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. The final chapter focuses on the grand design which unifies and structures the collection. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to october. Quid ergo debeam sequi rogo, domine, scribas, praesertim cum pertineat ad exemplum. A serious quarrel among scholars concerning its genuineness arose between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. Aug 28, 2014 rhiannon ash fellow and tutor in classics, merton college, oxford university discusses pliny and the genre of letter writing in the ancient world, with particular reference to letter 6.
The letters of the younger pliny pliny the younger. While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by pliny and, near the end, by the emperor trajan to pliny. Pliny the youngers most popular book is the letters of the younger pliny. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. Classical writings are the core of any great liberal arts education. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication.
Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Pliny the younger, nephew of the great naturalist pliny the elder, was a roman orator. Pliny s first letter to tacitus describes how his uncle sailed across the bay to save some people. For the obligations and limitations of tutela, see saller 1994. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. Rhiannon ash fellow and tutor in classics, merton college, oxford university discusses pliny and the genre of letter writing in the ancient world, with particular reference to letter 6. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. When conferring benefits as a patron, the younger pliny often represents. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. He was the grandson of senator and landowner gaius caecilius, revered his uncle, pliny the elder who at this time was extremely famous around the roman empire, and provided sketches of how his uncle worked on. The letters by gaius plinius caecilius secundus librarything.
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