Horace

Tuckwell, William, 1829-1919Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 126K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Horace by William TuckwellAuthor: Tuckwell, William, 1829-1919,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: May 22, 2008

Editor's review

Horace is an English critical biography of the Roman poet Horace by the British classical scholar William Tuckwell, reissued by Project Gutenberg. Aimed at the generally educated reader, it combines an account of Horace's life and times with an introduction to his poetry, in plain language marked by the clarity and warmth of nineteenth-century British popular classics writing. Its strength lies in placing the poet within the social and political changes of Rome, helping readers build a basic framework for reading Horace's poetry; at the same time it reflects the evaluative tastes of Victorian scholars toward classical authors. For readers who want an initial acquaintance with Horace without tackling the Latin original or heavy scholarly commentary, this is a friendly introductory guide. Reading it alongside a selected English translation of Horace's poems, moving between the biography and the works, yields better results.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers seeking an initial understanding of the Roman poet Horace
Students and teachers of classical literature or Western literary history
Readers interested in nineteenth-century British popular classics writing
Poetry lovers in need of public-domain English material for background reading

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers wishing to study Horace's Latin original directly
Scholars expecting the latest contemporary scholarship and references
Impatient beginners unaccustomed to nineteenth-century English prose

Reading tips

Read English translations of a few of Horace's short poems first, then return to the corresponding chapters of the critical biography.
Build a timeline as you read, matching the poet's works to Roman political events.
Note the author's Victorian evaluative tone and compare it with modern views.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book include the original text of Horace's poems?

According to Project Gutenberg, this is an English work on Horace by Tuckwell, classified under classical languages and literature. It is chiefly a critical biography and introduction; readers who want the original poems or a complete English translation should consult a collection of Horace's works alongside it.

Can I read it without a background in classics?

Yes. The book is aimed at the generally educated reader, its language is relatively plain, and it focuses on introducing the life and background of the works. Readers need only a general impression of Roman history; names and places can be looked up as they go, and they will be able to follow the discussion.

Are the book's views still valid today?

As a work of popular classics from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, its basic factual introduction retains reference value, but its evaluative framework and concerns bear the marks of its time. It is best treated as an introductory guide rather than the latest scholarly conclusion.

Comments

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About the author

Tuckwell, William, 1829-1919 Author · British · 1829–1919

William Tuckwell (1829–1919) was a British clergyman and writer whose life and work spanned the Victorian era and the early twentieth century. He long combined teaching and writing; beyond his religious duties he was especially known for essays and biographical studies. His writings centre on classical literature and modern figures. His representative works are Horace, on the Roman poet, and A. W. Kinglake: A Biographical and Literary Study, on the nineteenth-century writer and historian Alexander William Kinglake. He also wrote Reminiscences of Oxford and other works, which draw on his own experience to portray college life and personalities at Oxford, in a plain and genial style that combines documentary value with readability. The library holds two of his works. On the whole he was not a major celebrated figure, yet his biographies and essays offer a friendly sidelight on nineteenth-century British literary circles and Oxford life. Public information is limited, and many details of his life remain uncertain.