The History of Roman Literature / From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius

A chronological survey traces the development of Latin literature from its earliest inscriptions and Greek influences through the Republic's flowering of drama, epic, satire, and oratory into the imperial age. Chapters analyze linguistic features and metre, theatrical genres and performances, the evolution of satire and epic, and the emergence of prose history, rhetoric, and philosophy, profiling major authors and schools such as Ennius, Plautus, Terence, Varro, and Cicero. Later sections follow Augustan and post‑Augustan poetry and the literature's gradual transformation, while appendices and reading aids offer chronology, editions, and guidance for students.