A Caesar Reader: Selections from Bellum Gallicum and Bellum Civile, and from Caesar's Letters, Speeches, and Poetry (Latin Edition) (Latin Readers) (Latin and English Edition)
Caesar seems to be back in vogue these days. Consider Tatum's bibliography, which runs four pages despite restricting itself mostly to works written in the last twenty years. The case could be made that there is not exactly a paucity of texts to use if you are looking to study or teach him. In that context, what does Tatum's volume, one of Bolchazy-Carducci's Latin Reader series, have that other readers lack? The answer, I think, is in the unique passages in the reader and the thorough and subtle cultural and stylistic apparatus for understanding them Tatum provides. Tatum focuses on Caesar's 'extraordinary versatility as a stylist as well as ... his significance as a representative of his age, culture, and class'(xi), and it is true that Tatum draws his selections from a wide variety of Caesar's writings meant to showcase this versatility. It also means that Tatum is prioritizing variety over theme. While many of the selections seem chosen to showcase Caesar's use of narrative as propaganda, some, like Caesar's account of Pompey's death, seem to stand in isolation.Over half of the Latin Tatum selects comes from the Bellum Gallicum,and these selections are more or less the ones that you would expect to see. The reader begins with the celebrated Gallia est omnis divisa, then moves into the Helvetian campaign. Tatum chooses passages here that highlight Caesar as a propagandist and apologist, and supports this characterization with background essays and notes that provide context for why the Romans feared Celtic tribes and how Caesar took pains to justify his involvement. Ariovistus is up next, followed by the Nervii's ambush of Caesar's forces from BG 2.19-22. Tatum, stopping briefly to hear Ambiorix's speech in BG 5.27, ends his tour with ethnographies of the Celts and Germans from BG 7. Tatum's supporting materials here are especially interesting, since he discusses not only Caesar's possible sources but also compares his account with other ethnographies of the area, including Tacitus' Germania.Tatum shifts his strategy for the Bellum Civile, choosing fewer but longer passages. Tatum's next two selections reveal action in the war through the surrender at Corfinium and Curio's rousing speech before his ultimate defeat in Africa. The last trio of passages show Caesar's lenitas, his attempts to persuade aristocrats by speech rather than violence, and finally the scene of Pompey's death. What is most interesting and unusual is Tatum's inclusion of lesser known selections of Caesar's works: two of his letters, a fragment of the funeral oration for his aunt, and a clever poem about his opinion of Terence as a dimidiate Menander (28). I would wager that most students first approach Caesar through a lens formed by popular cultural images of the man as a military genius and dictator; to see Caesar as an author of a wide range of genres is, therefore, bound to be eye-opening. Caesar's poem, found in Suetonius' bibliography of Terence, is sure to delight, and it offers a rare glimpse into his wit and his ability to condemn while praising.Tatum devotes most of the space in the reader to commentary and grammatical xplanations. The reader's best parts are Tatum's deft discussions of the cultural, historical, and stylistic features of each selection. In particular, Tatum's comments often persuade the student to examine motive and style in clever and interesting ways. He also gives plenty of explanations for culturally-laden terms like officium and hospitium, or technical terms such as rogatio, fides, or ambitus so that a student can attain a greater degree of understanding of the point of an argument.The intermediate students for whom the series is designed are first beginning to think about how style and word order affect the meaning and presentation of argument, and Tatum devotes much space to this idea. --Thomas J. Howell, Belchertown High School, Belchertown, Mass.Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers have long been known for their exemplary publishing lists in the field of Latin and Greek language studies curriculum materials. Of special note for the study of Latin are their four volume 'Reader' series, each of which is authored by academic experts in the language and in their ability to craft curriculum materials that are thoroughly 'student friendly'. Four volumes that should be a part of every personal, professional, and academic library Latin Studies reference collection includes:A Caesar Reader: Selections from Bellum Gallicum and Bellum Civile, and from Caesar's Letters, Speeches, and Poetry(9780865166967, $19.00) by W. Jeffrey Tatum, Ronnie Ancona and Laurie Haight Keenan;A Suetonius Reader: Selections from the Lives of the Caesars and the Life of Horace(9780865167162, $19.00) by Josiah Osgood;A Lucan Reader: Selections from Civil War(9780865166615, $19.00) by Susanna Braund; andA Roman Verse Satire Reader: Selections from Lucilius, Horace, Persius, and Juvenal(9780865166851, $19.00) by Catherine Keane. Drawing from classic works of antiquity, each of these four volumes are invaluable, inexpensive, and strongly recommended contributions to the growing body of Latin Language instruction materials suitable as supplemental texts for classroom use, as well as individual studies curriculums. --James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review