Aulus Persius Flaccus, a distinguished figure in the pantheon of Roman satirists alongside Gaius Lucilius, Horace, and Juvenal, was born into an aristocratic Roman family. Despite the privileges ...

Persius Criticism Aulus Persius Flaccus, a key figure in Roman satire, is best known for his singular work, Satires, composed around 58-59 CE.

In the following excerpt, Jenkinson explains that Persius was shaped by Stoicism and that his satires are imbued with moral concerns and “continual surprise.”

SOURCE: Anderson, William S. Introduction to The Satires of Persius, translated by W. S. Merwin, pp. 7-50. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1961. [In the following essay, Anderson notes that ...

SOURCE: Nisbet, R. G. M. “Persius.” In Critical Essays on Roman Literature, edited by J. P. Sullivan, pp. 39-71. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963. [In the following essay, Nisbet provides ...

SOURCE: Knoche, Ulrich. “Aules Persius Flaccus.” In Roman Satire, translated by Edwin S. Ramage, pp. 127-39. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975. [In the following essay, Knoche ...

SOURCE: Tate, Jonathan. “The Life and Writings of Persius.” In The Satires of A. Persius Flaccus, translated by Jonathan Tate, pp. 4-12. Oxford, Eng.: Basil Blackwell, 1930. There is little ...

SOURCE: Coffey, Michael. “Persius.” In Roman Satire, pp. 98-118. London: Methuen and Co, 1976. [In the following essay, Coffey argues that Persius did not include many autobiographical ...

In the following excerpt, Morford praises Persius's style for its memorable metaphors, wide vocabulary, and colorful language.

In the following essay, originally published in 1909, Abbott finds similarities between the ideas of Persius and those inherent in New England Puritanism.