"This book gathers together eighteen of the most important and influential scholarly articles of the last 60-70 years (three of which are translated into English here for the first time) on the De Rerum Natura of Lucretius. The authors explore Lucretius' poetic and argumentative technique from a variety of perspectives: topics covered include imagery, analogy, and word-play
intertextual relations with Homer, Empedocles, Callimachus, Ennius, and other poetic and philosophical predecessors
and ways in which the poem reflects and responds to the values and ideology of contemporary Roman society. The problematic proem and conclusion of the poem are also a focus of attention."--BOOK JACKET.
Includes bibliographical references and index.