The Cambridge Companion to Lucretius

Lucretius'didacticpoemDererumnatura('OntheNatureofThings')isanimpassionedandvisionarypresentationofthematerialistphilosophyofEpicurus,andoneofthemostpowerfulpoetictextsofantiquity.Afteritsrediscoveryin1417itbecameacontroversialandseminalworkinsuccessivephasesofliteraryhistory,thehistoryofscience,andtheEnlightenment.InthisCambridgeCompanionexpertsinthehistoryofliterature,philosophyandsciencediscussthepoeminitsancientcontextsandinitsreceptionbothasaliterarytextandasavehicleforprogressiveideas.TheCompanionisdesignedbothasanaccessiblehandbookforthegeneralreaderwhowishestolearnaboutLucretius,andasaseriesofstimulatingessaysforstudentsofclassicalantiquityanditsreception.ItiscompletelyaccessibletothereaderwhohasonlyreadLucretiusintranslation.