Beyond Greek：The Beginnings of Latin Literature

Virgil,Ovid,Cicero,Horace,andotherauthorsofancientRomearesofirmlyestablishedintheWesterncanontodaythatthebirthofLatinliteratureseemsinevitable.Yet,DenisFeeneyboldlyargues,thebeginningsofLatinliteraturewereanythingbutinevitable.TheculturalflourishingthatintimeproducedtheAeneid,theMetamorphoses,andotherLatinclassicswasoneofthestrangesteventsinhistory.BeyondGreektracestheemergenceofLatinliteraturefrom240to140BCE,beginningwithRomanstageproductionsofplaysthatrepresentedthefirsttranslationsofGreekliterarytextsintoanotherlanguage.Fromamodernperspective,translatingforeign-languageliteratureintothevernacularseemsperfectlynormal.ButinanancientMediterraneanworldmadeupofmanymultilingualsocietieswithnoequivalenttothetext-basedliteratureoftheGreeks,literarytranslationwasunusualifnotunprecedented.FeeneyshowshowitallowedRomanstosystematicallytakeoverGreekformsoftragedy,comedy,andepic,makingthemtheirownandgivingbirthtowhathasbecomeknownasLatinliterature.ThegrowthofLatinliteraturecoincideswithaperiodofdramaticchangeinRomansociety.ThepowerfulbutgeographicallyconfinedRomancity-stateof320BCEhadconqueredallofItalyjustfiftyyearslater.BythetimeRomebecametheunquestioneddominantpowerintheMediterraneanoverthecourseofthenextcentury,itscitizenscouldboastofhavingadistinctvernacularliterature,aswellasahistoricaltraditionandmythology,thatputtheminauniquerelationshipwithGreekculture.