The Dedalus Book of Roman Decadence: Emperors of Debauchery

Dedalus Books of Decadence #3

by Geoffrey Farrington (Editor), Marcus Valerius Martialis (Contributor), Flavius Josephus (Contributor)

This volume collects the poetry and prose that served as the model and inspiration for so much of fin-de-siecle English and French writing, providing a vivid picture of sexual excess and debauchery in a cruel and violent society which has never ceased to fascinate the library and scholarly imagination of succeeding generations. The editor, novelist Geoffrey Farrington, provides a general introduction to the literary and political milieux of imperial Rome, and introductory notes to works by such authors as Ovid, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Juvenal.

"...concentrates on the outrageous behaviour of the ruling class of the Roman Empire, as described in passages selected from the prose, poetry and history of the period. Their murder plots, sexual deviances, orgies, cruelty and incessant intrigue put our politicians and their peccadillos on a play school level."
Time Out

Genres: History, Anthologies, Biography, Poetry

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This entertaining little anthology might have been better entitled "The Dedalus Book of Dirty and Vicious Bits in Roman History and Literature." I have nothing against dirty bits, and I am enthusiastic about vicious bits and decadent bits, but I think there is a distinction between them. Oscar Wilde said it best: "decadence is the subordination of the whole to the parts." The excitement of an individual episode in a longer narrative, the beauty of a particular extended metaphor in a general description, the elegance of a witty exchange of dialogue in an improbable context--each of these effects, for the decadent, needs no justification. Besides, the decadent writer is someone who creates under an immense burden of history and culture, conscious of the noble figures who have gone before. Listen closely to Swinburne, and you can hear the haunting strains of Keats and Shakespeare in every line.

According to this literary definition of decadence, Ovid--the last author of the Golden Age--has no business in this anthology whatsoever. (Particularly considering that his pieces are so poorly translated!) True, he writes poems: 1) about not being able to get it up, and 2)asking his lover to please have the decency to act faithful when he's around . . . but what's decadent about that? The English Restoration--certainly not a decadent period--would have had little objection to such poems, and any pagan audience--where the concept of moral decadence is much less sexual--would have had no problem with it at all. All the others represented here are well known writers of the Silver Age, but there are no selections from the latter days of the empire. I for one would have liked a few excerpts from Nemesianus, Claudian and Ausonius--the latter's style was specifically condemned by Edward Gibbon--so I could see what a truly degenerate and derivative Latin poetry might look like.

That being said, this is still an enjoyable anthology. It is always fun hearing about the vileness of Tiberius, the vicious insanity of Caligula, and the pusillanimous cruelty of Nero, and the excerpts from Petronius and Apuleius, as well as those from Martial and Juvenal, are well-chosen and adequately translated. I was delighted to encounter for the first time Aelius Lampridius' account of the reign of Heliogabalus (one of the truly decadent periods of Roman history), and to read in its entirety Seneca's fawning, unfunny "satire," "The Apocolocyntosis," detailing the stuttering, lame Claudius' difficult attempt to enter Olympus after his murder. I'm sure Seneca's student and patron, the Emperor Nero (whose mother had stepfather Claudius killed), found this piece absolutely hilarious.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the least of Dedalus' DECADENCE series I've read so far and non-essential for those who are trying to pick the cherries. There's some good stuff in here but the package itself was probably motivated by the public domain aspect of the writings, which certainly dropped the production cost.

Fans of the BBC's I, CLAUDIUS may be dismayed by Seneca's character assassination on Old King Log, "The Apocolocyntosis: Or The High Drama of Claudius The Gourd," but it's worth keeping in mind that none of us actually know what the real Claudius was like.

Still, worth reading if you like the time period and don't mind being dismayed at how little people have actually changed over time.

[Missberet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emperor's of Debauchery is everything decadent that you didn't learn in school about the Roman Empire. There are also Emperor's that have not been mentioned like Tiberius who had his way with young boys and babies. There is also risque poetry that confirms even though this was ancient Rome there are perversions that existed then as they do now. There was Claudius whose wife actually married her lover while still married to him. There are passages from the Satyricon by Petronius. A very obscure figure in Ancient Roman history is Heliogabalus who was elected for a seemingly good reason, but lasted only months for his historical Debauchery. I do have to warn you about this book though, there are wicked evil deeds that actually happened so just be prepared if you choose to read it.

[Dfordoom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dedalus Book of Roman Decadence, edited by Geoffrey Farrington, is a selection from various Roman historians and other writers, covering a period of about two centuries from the time of the emperor Tiberius to the assassination of Heliogabalus. It’s supposed to be a selection that focuses on the kind of Roman literature that influenced the Symbolists, and Decadents of the late 19th century. It includes most of the emperors with the most colourful reputations for decadence, depravity and all-round outrageousness – Tiberius, Caligula, Nero and Heliogabalus. It’s probably an excellent introduction for anyone totally unfamiliar with Roman literature. My only quibble with is that they seem (to me) to have tried too hard to make the translations up-to-date and contemporary. This seems to be to be a little strange for a collection aimed at those with an interest in Symbolists and Decadent art and literature – I’d have thought such people would have preferred a more archaic feel. I certainly would have. I’d have also liked some selections from some of the less known poets, the late Roman poets so beloved of des Esseintes, the supremely decadent hero of Huysmans’ supremely decadent novel Á Rebours (Against Nature). Farrington seems to have made a deliberate decision to confine himself to the pre-Christian Roman empire, and that’s a reasonable enough decision. As an introduction to Roman decadence it’s reasonably good.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have loved most of the selections that Farrington chose in other books, I wasn't crazy about these translations, primarily old public domain (the word quoth appears) or adapted by Brian & Adrian Murdoch. There is a good sampling here, I like the selections but would advise anyone interested to purchase copies of the always reliable Penguin Classics especially the captivating translation of the The Twelve Caesars by Robert Graves though I think I do prefer The Satyriconin Oxford Classics by P.G. Walsh.

[Bronwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this series for awhile as I've long held an interest in ancient Roman literature and its variety of influences on Fin de siècle/Decadent fiction; but was not anticipating such a terrible translation.

Imagine my horror when confronted with a section dedicated to Ovid's The Amores, bastardized in contemporary slang!

Bleh.