what was juvenal known for

What is unique about Juvenalian satire?

Juvenalian satire, in literature, any bitter and ironic criticism of contemporary persons and institutions that is filled with personal invective, angry moral indignation, and pessimism.

What type of poet was Juvenal?

Roman satiric poetsJuvenal, Latin in full Decimus Junius Juvenalis, (born 55–60? ce, Aquinum, Italy—died probably in or after 127), most powerful of all Roman satiric poets.

When did Juvenal write satire?

It is generally accepted that the fifth book must date to a point after 127, because of a reference to the Roman consul Lucius Aemilius Juncus in Satire 15....Satires (Juvenal)SatiresWrittenc. AD 100–127CountryRoman EmpireLanguageLatinGenre(s)Satire9 more rows

What is an example of Juvenalian satire?

A notable and famous example of juvenalian satire would be Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, which suggests eating children to solve the problem of overpopulation and poverty in Ireland.

What was Juvenal known for in ancient Rome?

The last great Roman satirist, Juvenal (c. 55 – 127 AD) became famous for his savage wit and biting descriptions of life in Rome. Little is known of Juvenal's life beyond his satire. His name only appears once, in a poem written to him by his friend, Martial.

Who did Juvenal influence?

General Characteristics and Influence The pagan poet Claudian and the Christian poets Ausonius and Prudentius imitated him. After the revival of learning under Charlemagne, Juvenal became popular, and he was one of the most widely read Latin authors during the Middle Ages.

What is the meaning of Juvenal?

Adjective. juvenal. Of a young bird, that has its first flying plumage.

Is Juvenalian a satire?

Juvenalian satire is one of the two major divisions of satire, and is characterized by its bitter and abrasive nature. It can be directly contrasted with Horatian satire, which utilizes a much gentler form of ridicule to highlight folly or oddity.

Who is the most famous Roman satirist?

JuvenalJuvenal is the greatest Roman satirist. He, far more than Horace or Persius, defined what satire meant for most of the early modern period and it is translations and imitations of him by Pope, Dryden, Jonson, and others – not to mention Hogarth's paintings – which dominate the great era of English Augustan satire.

Is Juvenalian satire light hearted?

Juvenalian satire can be defined as bitter, and angry attacking. There are millions of examples of juvenalian satire around the world, but here are three: 1. This image is juvenalian satire since it is definitely not funny and light-hearted, like horatian satire.

How is A Modest Proposal Juvenalian satire?

He accomplishes such criticism through satire, specifically Juvenalian satire. Swift's A Modest Proposal stands as an example of the type of satire that plays upon the audience's emotion by creating anger concerning the indifference of the voice created.

What is the purpose of using a satire?

satire, artistic form, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, parody, caricature, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to inspire social reform.

Who was Juvenal and with what genre of literature is he associated?

Decimus Junius Juvenalis (Latin: [ˈdɛkɪmʊs ˈjuːniʊs jʊwɛˈnaːlɪs]), known in English as Juvenal (/ˈdʒuːvənəl/ JOO-vən-əl), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the Satires.

What is the meaning of Juvenal?

Adjective. juvenal. Of a young bird, that has its first flying plumage.

What is horatian satire?

Horatian satire--After the Roman satirist Horace: Satire in which the voice is indulgent, tolerant, amused, and witty. The speaker holds up to gentle ridicule the absurdities and follies of human beings, aiming at producing in the reader not the anger of a Juvenal, but a wry smile.

What is Roman satire?

Satire, as invented by the Romans, had a tendency from the beginning towards social criticism which we still associate with satire. But the defining characteristic of Roman satire was that it was a medley, as a modern revue.

What was Juvenal's first career?

Although little is known of his early life, it is believed that he may have begun an administrative career, eventually becoming a soldier during the reign of Roman emperor Domitian (r. 81-96 CE). Unfortunately for Juvenal, he ran afoul of the moody emperor when he insulted one of Domitian's court favorites.

Who was Juvenal in the Roman Way?

Juvenal was a sensible genius who hated himself for accepting table scraps tossed to him by men he hated. Classicist Edith Hamilton in her book The Roman Way wrote of Juvenal and his contemporary Publius Cornelius Tacitus (l. c. 56 - c. 118 CE).

How many books of satire did Juvenal write?

Juvenal wrote five books of satire: In his first book of five satires, written around 110 CE during the reign of Trajan (r. 98-117 CE), he condemned the vice and crime prevailing in Rome, the patron/client relationship, and the decadence and wealth of the city's elite.

How did Hadrian's resentment affect his perception of both the city and its people?

Without the means to support himself, he was forced to seek the assistance of a patron as a client. Later, he questioned whether the insults one received at dinner were worth it. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE), he rose above his poverty and bought a farm near Tivoli, but money, land, and servants did not affect his attitude, and his assessment of the city and its citizens would not change. This outlook is evident throughout all of his 16 satires.

What did Hadrian do during his reign?

During the reign of Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE), he rose above his poverty and bought a farm near Tivoli, but money, land, and servants did not affect his attitude, and his assessment of the city and its citizens would not change. This outlook is evident throughout all of his 16 satires.

Who was Juvenal's friend in Satire 3?

In Satire 3, Juvenal spoke through a friend named Umbricius. He attacked a multitude of different problems: the city's corruption, its poor housing, and the presence of deceitful foreigners, most notably the Greeks:

What is poverty's greatest curse?

Poverty's greatest curse, much worse than the fact of it, is that it makes men objects of mirth, ridiculed, humbled, embarrassed. (Gochberg, 504) In his third satire, he also criticized the horrible housing conditions of the city where those on the top floors had little, if any, protection against rain and fire.

When was Juvenal born?

Only one of these traditional biographies supplies a date of birth for Juvenal: it gives 55 AD, which most probably is speculation, but accords reasonably well with the rest of the evidence. Other traditions have him surviving for some time past the year of Hadrian 's death (138 AD). Some sources place his death in exile, others have him being recalled to Rome (the latter of which is considered more plausible by contemporary scholars). If he was exiled by Domitian, then it is possible that he was one of the political exiles recalled during the brief reign of Nerva.

What is the Vita Iuvenalis of Juvenal?

H. Gimber, 1837. Details of the author's life cannot be reconstructed definitively. The Vita Iuvenalis (Life of Juvenal), a biography of the author that became associated with his manuscripts no later than the tenth century, is little more than an extrapolation from the Satires .

What is Junius Juvenalis's nationality?

Poet. Nationality. Roman. Genre. Satire. Decimus Junius Juvenalis ( Latin: [ˈdɛkɪmʊs ˈjuːniʊs jʊwɛˈnaːlɪs] ), known in English as Juvenal ( / ˈdʒuːvənəl / JOO-vən-əl ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the Satires.

How many poems did Juvenal write?

Juvenal wrote at least 16 poems in the verse form dactylic hexameter. These poems cover a range of Roman topics. This follows Lucilius —the originator of the Roman satire genre, and it fits within a poetic tradition that also includes Horace and Persius.

How many books are in Juvenal's Saturae?

Saturae, 1535. Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a wide-ranging discussion of society and social mores in dactylic hexameter.

What is Juvenal's satire?

While Juvenal's mode of satire has been noted from antiquity for its wrathful scorn toward all representatives of social deviance, some politically progressive scholars such as, W. S. Anderson and later S. M. Braund, have attempted to defend his work as that of a rhetorical persona (mask), taken up by the author to critique the very attitudes he appears to be exhibiting in his works.

Was Juvenal exiled?

Large parts clearly are mere deduction from Juvenal's writings, but some elements appear more substantial. Juvenal never mentions a period of exile in his life, yet it appears in every extant traditional biography. Many scholars think the idea to be a later invention; the Satires do display some knowledge of Egypt and Britain, and it is thought that this gave rise to the tradition that Juvenal was exiled. Others, however - particularly Gilbert Highet - regard the exile as factual, and these scholars also supply a concrete date for the exile: 93 AD until 96, when Nerva became emperor. They argue that a reference to Juvenal in one of Martial 's poems, which is dated to 92, is impossible if, at this stage Juvenal was already in exile, or, had served his time in exile, since in that case, Martial would not have wished to antagonise Domitian by mentioning such a persona non grata as Juvenal. If Juvenal was exiled, he would have lost his patrimony, and this may explain the consistent descriptions of the life of the client he bemoans in the Satires .

Who is Juvenal?

Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, popularly known as Juvenal, was a Roman poet active in the period between late 1st and early 2nd century AD. He was the author of the famous work, the “Satires”. There isn’t much information about his life but the references to the known people of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD in his works helps to fix the date of their composition. His writings follow the corrosive manner of Lucilius, who originated the genre of Roman satire and holds the poetic tradition that also included Horace and Persius. Juvenal wrote around 16 poems in dactylic hexameter, in which he had covered an encyclopedic range of topics across the Roman world. His important work, the “Satires”, provide a critical source for the study of ancient Rome from a vast number of perspectives.

What is the life of Juvenal?

According to traditional biographies like “Vita Iuvenalis”, Juvenal was son of a rich freedman. It was said that he was a pupil of Quintillian, and to have practiced rhetoric till he was middle-aged, both as amusement and for legal purposes. He started his career of satirist in the later phase of his life. Few of the biographies put the location of his birth at Aquinum. Only one of these traditional biographies states that he was born in 55 AD. Many of these biographies agree on the fact that Juvenal spent a part of his life in exile, most probably because of insulting an actor with high levels of court influence. It further said that he was banished by Emperor Domitian. Most of these biographies place the location of his exile at Egypt except one which states that he went to Scotland for exile. Some of these biographies affirm that he died in exile while others avow that he was recalled to Rome. There are still uncertainties over the reliability of the content of these biographies. As such, it cannot be predicted as to how much content of these biographies is fiction or factual.

What are Juvenal's satires?

These poems mainly describe about the life of Rome under the rule of various Emperors such as Domitian , Nerva, Trajan and Hadrian. These poems were published separately at intervals in five books. The first Book or the Book One had satires 1-5 which described the horrors of Domitian’s dictatorial reign. It was published between 100 AD and 110 AD. The second Book contained a single enormous Satire 6 and had references to the year 115 AD. The third Book comprised of Satires 7, 8 and 9. This book opened with the praise of Emperor Hadrian who was said to be a great admirer of literature. He endowed a literary institute to help authors. The Book Four had Satires 10, 11 and 12. The last and final Book Five contained Satires 13-16. This book also had two references to the year 127 AD. These “Satires” are based on two prominent themes, the corruption of the society in Rome and the indulgences and the brutalities of the mankind.

Did Juvenal live in exile?

The majority of the available details about him are mere deductions from his writings but some elements appear more substantial than others. Juvenal had never mentioned about a period of exile in his writings, but the fact of his exile was there in most of the surviving biographies. Many scholars consider the whole idea of exile an invention of later people. The “Satires” mentions about Egypt and Britain; which is probably why the idea that Juvenal was exiled in these locations has evolved. Some scholars, especially Gilbert Highet, believe that the exile actually took place and is factual. These scholars also estimate a fix period for the exile, from 93 AD until 96 AD, when Nerva became Emperor. In 96 AD, when Domitian was assassinated, Juvenal returned to Rome. He had no money or career and had to live on the charity of the rich. Based on the autobiographical information provided in the “Satire 11”, his condition improved in few years and in later years of his life, he lived comfortably in Rome and also had a farm at Tibur. The later satires show a relative change in his tone and some elements of human kindness. Even though there is no exact reference to his death, he probably died in or after 127 AD.

When was Juvenal depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle?

A depiction of Juvenal in the Nuremberg Chronicle, late 1400s. Wiki Commons

What is Juvenal's satirist's main target?

Satire 5 condemns a rich patron for the humiliation he heaps on his poor client, though he acutely criticises the client for his complicity. Throughout, Juvenal’s main targets are hypocrites from all levels of society. The satirist stands outside and inveighs against what is wrong with Rome, but he has few suggestions on how to improve it.

How many satires did Juvenal write?

Juvenal wrote 16 satires, divided into five books. Most are between 150 and 300 lines in length, except for the monstrous sixth satire attacking women and marriage, which rants on for over 650 lines and takes up a whole book on its own. Each satire has its own theme or target, ranging from decadent aristocrats and hypocritical moralists ...

What is the essence of Juvenal's poems?

Contradiction is the essence of these poems. The satirist indignantly condemns Rome’s vices as he pruriently lingers on their salacious details. The sheer force of his outrage and the vigour of his rhetoric sweep the reader along at the same time as she recoils from his bigotry. In Juvenal’s own words, it’s difficult not to write satire, and once you are sucked into its twisted world, it is difficult not to read it. But working out what to make of it is really difficult.

What is the first person voice of Juvenal's satires?

More recently, the satirist’s voice has been seen as a persona, a mask, a character just like Umbricius.

Who wrote The Romans and their Decadence?

Thomas Couture, The Romans and their Decadence, 1847. Wikimedia

Is Juvenal's satire difficult to read?

In Juvenal’s own words, it’s difficult not to write satire, and once you are sucked into its twisted world, it is difficult not to read it. But working out what to make of it is really difficult. Frontispiece from the 1711 publication of Juvenal’s Satires. Wiki Commons.

What is the theme of Juvenal?

Roma) to beyond the world's end when confronted by moral hypocrisy. Although the broad theme of this poem is the process of gender inversion, it would be an error to take it as simple invective against pathic men. Juvenal is concerned with gender deviance.

How many books are in Juvenal?

Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a wide-ranging discussion of society and social mores in dactylic hexameter. The sixth and tenth satires are some of the most renowned works in the collection.

What is Roman Satura?

Roman Satura was a formal literary genre rather than being simply clever, humorous critique in no particular format. Juvenal wrote in this tradition, which originated with Lucilius and included the Sermones of Horace and the Satires of Persius.

What is the date of the fifth book of Juvenal?

It is generally accepted that the fifth book must date to a point after 127 , because of a reference to the Roman consul Iuncus in Satire 15. A recent scholar has argued that the first book should be dated to 100 or 101. Juvenal's works are contemporary with those of Martial, Tacitus and Pliny the Younger .

Who were the men who would have been fortunate if they had died before a late disaster overtook them?

lines 10.273–288 – Many men would have been thought fortunate if they had died before a late disaster overtook them: e.g. Croesus, Marius, and Pompey.

Who wrote London in imitation of Juvenal?

In 1738, Samuel Johnson was inspired by this text to write his London: A Poem in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal. The archetypal question of whether an urban life of hectic ambition is to be preferred to a pastoral fantasy retreat to the country is posed by the narrator:

What are the surviving manuscripts of the Satires?

Many manuscripts survive, but only P (the Codex Pithoeanus Montepessulanus), a 9th-century manuscript based on an edition prepared in the 4th century by a pupil of Servius Honoratus, the grammarian, is reasonably reliable. At the same time as the Servian text was produced, however, other and lesser scholars also created their editions of Juvenal: it is these on which most medieval manuscripts of Juvenal are based. It did not help matters that P disappeared sometime during the Renaissance and was only rediscovered around 1840. It is not, however, uncommon for the generally inferior manuscripts to supply a better reading in cases when P is imperfect. In addition, modern scholarly debate has also raged around the authenticity of the text which has survived, as various editors have argued that considerable portions are not, in fact, authentically Juvenalian and represent interpolations from early editors of the text. Jachmann (1943) argued that up to one-third of what survives is non-authentic: Ulrick Knoche (1950) deleted about hundred lines, Clausen about forty, Courtney (1975) a similar number. Willis (1997) italicizes 297 lines as being potentially suspect. On the other hand, Vahlen, Housman, Duff, Griffith, Ferguson and Green believe the surviving text to be largely authentic: indeed Green regards the main problem as being not interpolations but lacunae.

Overview

See more on worldhistory.org

Life

The Satires and their genre

Modern criticism and historical context of the Satires

Literary and cultural influence

Decimus Junius Juvenalis , known in English as Juvenal (/ˈdʒuːvənəl/ JOO-vən-əl), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the Satires. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, although references within his text to known persons of the late first and early second centuries AD fix his earliest date of composition. One recent scholar argues that his first book was published in 100 or 101. A ref…

See also