Sidonius Apollinaris: Selected Letters

Sidonius Apollinaris' fifth-century Letters are a highpoint of Latin literature. They are also a unique document from the end of the Western Roman Empire on the brink of the Middle Ages. They have a direct appeal to modern readers for the struggle between tradition and innovation, dominant and immigrant culture, and shifting balances of power. This book is the first 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 also offering much to scholars.

• The Commentary carefully guides the student on all aspects of language so they can find all they need to read Sidonius' prose
• Engages with the Letters as a complex literary work of art, making students aware of the coherence in a layered and composite collection and the debt of late antique writers to the classical past
• Highlights aspects of tradition and innovation, lead culture and immigrants, and changing balances of power in Sidonius' world so that students can compare modern-day political problems and similar problems when the Roman empire of the West crumbled