De Rerum Naturabook 3

by Lucretius, E.J. Kenney (Editor)

The De Rerum Natura of Lucretius is a sustained and impassioned protest against religious superstition and irrationality. The poem takes the form of a detailed exposition of Epicurean physical theory - an extreme materialism designed to remove and discredit popular fears of the gods, death and an afterlife. Book III is generally accepted to be the finest in the whole poem; Lucretius argues there that the soul is as mortal as the body and shows that human response to the fact of mortality and death can be at once rational, dignified and liberating. Professor Kenney's commentary is the first to give proper critical emphasis to the techniques and intentions of Lucretius' poetry; it can be read with profit by all students of Latin from senior school level upwards.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 1977

About the author

Titus Lucretius Carus (c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the epic philosophical poem "De Rerum Natura" about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which is usually translated into English as On the Nature of Things.

Very little is known about Lucretius's life; the only certain fact is that he was either a friend or client of Gaius Memmius, to whom the poem was addressed and dedicated.

Reviews

[Vikram Kumar]

This is an utterly fantastic commentary. It has been completely overhauled and now is way more extensive. The notes are fantastic and really helpful. I wish there were a longer introduction, but still Kenney does a great job with the commentary. He lays out the argument really well and helps a great deal with certain idiosyncrasies founds in Lucretian Latin. Wonderful commentary by a brilliant scholar.

[Antonia]

Cuando mi vida esté demasiado estable siempre es bueno leer este aliento al suicidio

[Liza]

This was a little too philosophical for me on a Wednesday morning.

3/5☆