Sidonius Apollinaris: Selected Letters

This selection shows students the Letters' depth and coherence, while providing them with detailed help with language and interpretation.

Sidonius Apollinaris' fifth-century Letters are a highpoint of Latin literature and a unique document of the end of the Western Roman Empire on the brink of the Middle Ages. This edition uses a selection to show students its depth and coherence, providing them with detailed help with language and interpretation.Sidonius Apollinaris' fifth-century Letters are a highpoint of Latin literature. It is also a unique document of the end of the Western Roman Empire on the brink of the Middle Ages. It has a direct appeal to modern readers for the struggle between tradition and innovation, lead culture and immigrants, and changing balances of power. This book is the first-ever selection from Sidonius' correspondence that goes beyond the anecdotal to reveal its depth and coherence. It applies insights brought to light by research on Sidonius in the last half century as well as by functional grammar, text linguistics and narratology. Based on an updated Latin text and attentive to intertextuality throughout, it introduces a number of interpretative innovations. With an Introduction and detailed Commentary providing help down to the level of individual words, it caters for the needs of students and instructors, while offering much to scholars too.