The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: A StudyMarcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 A.D., is renowned for his just rule and long frontier wars. But his lasting fame rests on his Meditations, a bedside book of reflections and self-admonitions written during his last years, that provide unique insights into the mind of an ancient ruler and contain many passages of pungent epigram and poetic imagery. This study is designed to make the Meditations more accessible to the modern reader. Rutherford carefully explains the historical and philosophical background, charts the main themes and tendencies of Marcus's thought, and relates stylistic detail to the intellectual and moral outlook of the author. His goal is to define Marcus's aims, attitudes, and styles more precisely and restore his work to the position it held in the past, that of a spiritual classic which can be read and enjoyed by people who are not professional scholars. |
Contents
THE FORM AND FUNCTION OF THE MEDITATIONS | 1 |
LITERARY AND CULTURAL | 48 |
xiv | 61 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Aurelius Marcus,Arthur Spenser Loat Farquharson,R. B. Rutherford No preview available - 1989 |
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ancient Apuleius argument Aristides Arrian attitude Birley Brunt Cambridge Cato chapter Cicero Cicero's cited comm contrast death Dio Chrysostom Diog discussion divine Dodds Domitian dreams elsewhere emperor Ench Epict Epictetus Epicurean Epicurus Essays ethical examples Fronto further gods Greek Hadrian Historia Augusta human imagery Kindstrand on Bion Laert literary London Lucian MacMullen Marcus Aurelius Mayor on Juv Meditations metaphor moral Musonius Musonius Rufus Nisbet-Hubbard on Hor Nock Oxford Pagan and Christian parallel passage Pease on Cic Philos philosophic Philostratus Pius Plato Plin Plut Plutarch quoted reference religion religious rhetorical RLAC Roman Satire Second Sophistic seems Seneca SHA Marcus Socrates sophists soul Stoa Stoic Stoicism style Syme Tacitus theme things thought tradition viii words writing δὲ εἰς καὶ μὴ πάντα περὶ πρὸς τὰ τὴν τὸ τοῦ τῶν