The Roman Way

Edith Hamilton not only appreciates Latin literature for its use in the analysis of Roman history, but also the brilliance of their writings. By using Roman playwrights and poets, Hamilton traces the development of Rome, from its origin as something not-Greek, to the romantic and grandiose poems of......more

Like the Greek Way, the Roman Way is a collection of interpretive essays on specific writers and their broader cultural context, this time, of course, relocated to Italy's capital. Hamilton of course brings her astonishing breadth of knowledge of the subject to this work, as well as the fascinating......more

Read this book after reading the Greek Way. Understand the difference between the Greeks, who were truly exceptional in culture, and the Romans, who created an exceptional state. I like Hamilton’s refreshing woman’s perspective too. Her discussion about the Romans putting women on a pedestal is part......more

I wanted to like this a lot more but it was just… odd? A lot of times it was just a series of quotes and brief explanations, or imagined scenes of these writers. Was drifting to two stars but the titular chapter and the stories of the post Augustus Rome were four stars in their own right.......more