Cynthia: A Companion to the Text of Propertius

The text of Propertius is one of the worst transmitted of the classical Latin authors. Many recent editions have been conservative; they are frequently unreadable as a result. The commentaries have also been uncritical, confidently interpreting the errors of the manuscripts without weighing the probability of corruption. In an attempt to open up debate, Cynthia provides a thorough examination of the areas of doubt, and explains the readings printed in the new Oxford Classical Text (published at the same time).
The bulk of the book consists in a commentary on the text, concentrating on the problematic couplets and passages. Particular attention is paid to questions of coherence and incoherence, with detailed examination of poem division (conjectural in the manuscripts) and the fragmentary state of many sequences in Book 2. Literary observations are regularly used to support arguments on the grounds of usage, style, metre, and sense, and the commentary will thus serve as an essential tool in the study of many aspects of Propertius. In its clear exposition of technical issues, the book provides a survey of elegiac style, and an introduction to Latin textual criticism in the modern age.
As a statement of what the editor thinks the printed text might mean, the volume includes a translation; uncertainties and ambiguities are acknowledged through alternative versions.

S. J. Heyworth is Bowra Fellow and Tutor in Classics, Wadham College, Oxford.