A Guide To Classical Learning

by Joseph Spence

A Guide To Classical Or, Polymetis Abridged. Being A Work Necessary Not Only For Classical Instruction, But For All Those who Wish To Have A True Taste For The Beauties Of Poetry, Sculpture And Painting — Joseph Spence. A Guide To Classical Learning is a compact, abridged rendition of Spence's Inquiry concerning the agreement between the works of the Roman poets and the remains of ancient artists. The volume provides a structured overview of the rise and growth of Roman poetry, the Augustan flowering, and the later decay, situating poetry in dialogue with sculpture, painting, medals, and gems. It explains how allegorical figures in poetry were conceived as deities and linked to visual representations, and how the machinery of the ancients—gods intervening in narrative—functions. The author critiques modern commentators and translators, advocates a disciplined school education that integrates classics with the arts, and demonstrates how antiquities illuminate Latin texts. The abridgment also presents notes and references intended to cultivate a genuine taste for poetry, sculpture, and painting.

Paperback