M. Tulli Ciceronis Pro M. Caelio Oratio

Rating:
Summary: Austin's done a great job
Review: The Pro Caelio is a particularly recondite oration with its various references to less well-known historical figures and incidents in the Late Republic. Austin attempts to reconstruct Caelius' life from the details and it is evident in his commentary that he has a very good knowledge of Roman history and a keen sensitivity to the finer elements of Cicero's style. My only criticism is his tendency to oversimplify commenting on some of the lengthy or twisted passages by simply translating the whole thing into plain English rather than remark on the sticky words or constructions which frustrate. It is often only a rare or highly informal definition that trips up the reader, such as "Venerem" in section 52 which refers to a _statue_ of Venus. I didn't like the occasional spoiling of this and other passages by having to read it in translation to understand a single odd term. Punctuation was consistently excellent and the page by page app. crit. is always a plus.

The Pro Caelio is one of Cicero's best speeches in my opinion. By now Cicero's political career and reputation were well established, and he had a somewhat personal ax to grind with the powers behind the plaintiff, who himself was a judicial featherweight. Cicero was the superior intellect, he knew it, and verbally disemboweled his opponents with style for the audience. Since the disgruntled jurymen were missing the "ludi" because of state business, Cicero offered his own amusing theatrics. I'd like to believe Austin was right, that once Cicero had introduced Claudius Appius Caecus this trial was, for all intents and purposes, a foregone conclusion. One begins to wonder why Catullus pined so deeply over that bitch...

If you've ever harbored a guilty pleasure for reading the scandal mags and would like to do so but with infinitely more educational value, style, and dignity, pick up the Pro Caelio.

Rating:
Summary: Legendus est!
Review: This book is the culmination of years of dedicated Oxford scholarship which has resulted in a masterful commentary on Cicero's Pro Caelio. I just started using this text in my advanced Latin class, and have found it far superior to even the exceptional Ciraolo text I used previously. The print is small, and the glosses and comments are placed in endnotes instead of footnotes, which makes the whole thing rather cumbersome. But oh, what marvelous information is to be found in those notes! Austin cites every major authority (up to 1959) on even the minutest of details and pits conflicting theories against each other, and then adds his own frequently curt pronouncements on the subject -- but always leaves the reader to make up his own mind. He makes certain to note where the various medieval codices diverge, even if there is only a scintilla of difference in the phrasings of a passage. This again shows his dedication to scholarship and letting the reader make up his own mind. This is THE definitive commentary on the Pro Caelio, for this is the place where you will find all the great Classicists of the ages gathered for one great symposium; it is the gateway to all the more specialized scholarship and a great general overview of them all.

Rating:
Summary: Legendus est!
Review: This book is the culmination of years of dedicated Oxford scholarship which has resulted in a masterful commentary on Cicero's Pro Caelio. I just started using this text in my advanced Latin class, and have found it far superior to even the exceptional Ciraolo text I used previously. The print is small, and the glosses and comments are placed in endnotes instead of footnotes, which makes the whole thing rather cumbersome. But oh, what marvelous information is to be found in those notes! Austin cites every major authority (up to 1959) on even the minutest of details and pits conflicting theories against each other, and then adds his own frequently curt pronouncements on the subject -- but always leaves the reader to make up his own mind. He makes certain to note where the various medieval codices diverge, even if there is only a scintilla of difference in the phrasings of a passage. This again shows his dedication to scholarship and letting the reader make up his own mind. This is THE definitive commentary on the Pro Caelio, for this is the place where you will find all the great Classicists of the ages gathered for one great symposium; it is the gateway to all the more specialized scholarship and a great general overview of them all.

Rating:
Summary: hic liber legendus est.
Review: This is a great book! I have been using it all semester in my 300-level Latin course, and I cannot emphasize enough how helpful I have found it. Austin's is considered the preeminent commentary on the Pro Caelio among the faculty at my school, and I would venture to guess that the same applies just about anywhere else. The Pro Caelio is a speech which was delivered by the famed Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, in defense of Marcus Caelius, a personal friend accused of attempted murder. This text is not a translation and is not intended for reading by those without a grounding in the fundamentals of Latin grammar and syntax. In this edition of the Pro Caelio, the author provides alternate readings of the Latin text in footnotes at the bottom of each page. (Disparities between the medieval codices by which this work was passed down to us are common). He assigns each codex a Greek letter at the beginning of the book which serves to identify, in abbreviated form, the text which the alternate reading is ascribed to. This makes finding alternate readings -- and thus starting arguments over the meaning of a passage -- quite easy. Also provided, in endnotes which follow an unbroken presentation of the Latin text, are Austin's personal commentaries on certain passages. These range from very short to sometimes two pages in length, depending on the passage's importance and perceived difficulty. These notes provide a glimpse into the history behind the dramatic trial. I would recommend this book to any Classics scholar, beginning or advanced. For once, one of my course books will find a permanent home on my bookshelf instead of at the used bookstore after finals week!

Rating:
Summary: hic liber legendus est.
Review: This is a great book! I have been using it all semester in my 300-level Latin course, and I cannot emphasize enough how helpful I have found it. Austin's is considered the preeminent commentary on the Pro Caelio among the faculty at my school, and I would venture to guess that the same applies just about anywhere else. The Pro Caelio is a speech which was delivered by the famed Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, in defense of Marcus Caelius, a personal friend accused of attempted murder. This text is not a translation and is not intended for reading by those without a grounding in the fundamentals of Latin grammar and syntax. In this edition of the Pro Caelio, the author provides alternate readings of the Latin text in footnotes at the bottom of each page. (Disparities between the medieval codices by which this work was passed down to us are common). He assigns each codex a Greek letter at the beginning of the book which serves to identify, in abbreviated form, the text which the alternate reading is ascribed to. This makes finding alternate readings -- and thus starting arguments over the meaning of a passage -- quite easy. Also provided, in endnotes which follow an unbroken presentation of the Latin text, are Austin's personal commentaries on certain passages. These range from very short to sometimes two pages in length, depending on the passage's importance and perceived difficulty. These notes provide a glimpse into the history behind the dramatic trial. I would recommend this book to any Classics scholar, beginning or advanced. For once, one of my course books will find a permanent home on my bookshelf instead of at the used bookstore after finals week!