Pharsalia cover

Pharsalia

by Lucan

"In this edition Professor Fantham offers the first full-scale commentary on the neglected second book of Lucan's epic poem on the war between Caesar and Pompey: De bello civili. Book II presents all three leading figures - Cato, Caesar and Pompey - in speech and action. It expresses the moral and political dilemma of civil war and portrays Pompey's loss of authority during his withdrawal from Italy in language designed to evoke and cancel Virgil's heroic presentation of the foundation myth of Aeneas. It is a book rich in the history and geography of Roman Italy, including the retrospective narrative of Marius' and Sulla's reigns of civil terror at Rome, an unusual wedding scene, a verbal map of Italy, and a swift-paced narrative of Caesar's blockade and Pompey's Dunkirk-like evacuation of the republican forces from Brundisium." "In her introduction Professor Fantham gives a general account of Lucan's life and work, and continues with a discussion of his narrative and interpretation of Caesar's military 'invasion' of Italy covering books I and II, a survey of language, style and metre, and a brief history of the text."--BOOK JACKET.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?