Garrett A. Duncan, Ph.D,
"a terrific asset as a teacher and colleague"
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Garrett A. Duncan, Ph.D, "a terrific asset as a teacher and colleague" |
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Plutarch
(Yale University Press, 2001)
In the engaging and stimulating book Plutarch, Robert D. Lamberton, professor and chair of the Department of Classics in Arts & Sciences, introduces both general readers and students to Plutarch's own life and work. Lamberton sketches the cultural context in which Plutarch worked -- Greece under Roman rule -- and discusses his family relationships, background, education and political career. There are two sides to Plutarch: the most widely read source on Greek and Roman history, and the educator whose philosophical and pedagogical concerns are preserved in the vast collection of essays and dialogues known as the "Moralia." "Plutarch is a probably read more today as a source for ancient history than any other author, but he was emphatically not a historian -- he says so himself," Lamberton said. "My book attempts to show just what sort of writer he was, and hence, what we can expect from him, as well as what we should not expect." Lamberton analyzes these neglected writings, arguing that we must look here for Plutarch's deepest commitment as a writer and for the heart of his accomplishment. The author also explores the connection between biography and historiography and shows how Plutarch's parallel biographies served the continuing process of cultural accommodation between Greeks and Romans in the Roman Empire. He concludes by discussing Plutarch's influence and reputation through the ages. Plutarch is available at the Campus Bookstore in Mallinckrodt Student Center. -- Neil Schoenherr |
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