Petronius

Hard to know what to say about this one. The introduction descends into an account of editions over the ages that reads at times like a parody of academia (I can tentatively say that if you want parodic levels of academic disagreement, head straight for your local Classics department), but is useful.

Satyricon itself? Well, it's fitfully amusing, over the top, confusing (what we have is basically a heap of fragments) and sometimes ... I almost typed "postmodern."

Wait, I *did* type postmodern! Why did I do that?

This was, of course, the source for the Fellini film, which I disliked.

I'm grieved to report that Harvard U. Press has apparently fallen to the temptation to eschew employing proofreaders, or at least good ones. Typos abound. This tendency first really shocked me when I encountered it in a book from U. of Chicago, an outfit I esteemed highly -- now ... well, what can you do? Accuracy is for ninnies, apparently -- or is too expensive to care about (but you're HARVARD).… (more)