Byron and Latin Culture

Book excerpt: Byron and Latin Culture consists of twenty-three papers, most of which were given at the 37th International Byron Conference at Valladolid, Spain, in July 2011. An introduction by the editor describes in detail the huge influence which the major Latin poets had on Byron: his borrowings, imitations, parodies, and echoes have never been catalogued in such detail, and it becomes clear that many ideas central to Don Juan, in particular, derive from Ovid, Virgil, Petronius, Martial and the other great classical writers. There are substantial sections on the ways Byron was influenced by, and in turn influenced, the literature and art of France, Spain, Italy, and other nations. Contributors include John Clubbe, Richard Cardwell, Madeleine Callaghan, Alice Levine, Itsuyo Higashinaka, Olivier Feignier, Katherine Kernberger, and Stephen Minta.