Letters on Ethics – To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) - Hardcover

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus

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9780226265179: Letters on Ethics – To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 022626517X ISBN 13: 9780226265179

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2015

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The Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE) made innovative use of the letter format to record both his moral philosophy and his personal experiences. In Letters on Ethics, rich descriptions of city and country life in Nero's Italy mix with discussions of Roman poetry and oratory and with personal advice to Seneca's friend Lucilius. The first complete English translation of this work in nearly a century, Letters on Ethics presents Seneca's fascinating reflections on daily life, education, and philosophical thought at Rome and elucidates these topics for modern readers. Written as much for a general audience as for Lucilius, these engaging letters offer advice on how to deal with everything from nosy neighbors to sickness, pain, and death. Above all, Seneca uses the relaxed form of the letter to introduce many major issues in Stoicism, for centuries the most influential philosophical system in the Mediterranean world. His lively and at times humorous explanations have made the Letters his most popular work and an enduring classic. Featuring an astute introduction and explanatory notes, this new edition by Margaret Graver and A. A. Long resituates the Letters on Ethics in the front ranks of world literature.

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Review:

"Excellent. . . . This is an exceptionally accessible text. . . that will be invaluable not only to those interested in the letters as literary artifacts that open an important window onto imperial Rome's cultural life, but also to readers engaging with the letters philosophically, as the lively and urgent writings of one of classical antiquity's most important ethicists. . . . Essential."--Choice

"Translators Margaret Graver and A.A. Long should be commended for reintroducing the Letters to a new generation. . . . A Seneca as approachable and fresh as he was thousands of years ago."--American Conservative

"[An] excellent book. . . . The Stoic ideas are as relevant now as they were in the days of the emperor Nero and [Graver and Long] have done Seneca (and us) a great service in making the old man speak so clearly once again."--Classics for All Reviews

"Graver and Long successfully manage to draw the reader in. . . . An accurate, readable and well-annotated translation of Seneca's letters."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

About the Author:

Margaret Graver is the Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics at Dartmouth College. She is the author of Cicero on the Emotions: Tusculan Disputations 3 and 4 and Stoicism and Emotion. A. A. Long is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of many books on ancient philosophy, including Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life and Greek Models of Mind and Self.

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