The University of Wisconsin Press


Classics / Drama

Asinaria
The One about the Asses
Plautus
Translated and with commentary by John Henderson
Complete Latin and English texts on facing pages


Wisconsin Studies in Classics
William Aylward, Nicholas D. Cahill, and Patricia A. Rosenmeyer, Series Editors


A droll new translation of Plautus’ satirical play, with witty scholarly commentary

Asses, asses, and more asses! This new edition of Plautus’ rumbustious comedy provides the complete original Latin text, witty scholarly commentary, and an English translation that both complements and explicates Plautus’ original style. John Henderson reveals this play as a key to Roman social relations centered on many kinds of slavery: to sex, money, and family structure; to masculinity and social standing; to senility and partying; and to jokes, lies, and idiocy. The translation remains faithful to Plautus’ syllabic style for reading aloud, as well as to his humorous colloquialisms and wordplay, providing readers with a comfortable affinity to Plautus himself. An indispensable teaching and learning tool for the study of Roman New Comedy, this edition includes comprehensive commentary, useful indexes, and a pronunciation guide that will help readers of all levels understand and appreciate Plautus and his era.


John Henderson
is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, King's College. He is the author of many books on Latin literature and Roman culture, including Fighting for Rome and Writing Down Rome.





Praise:

“An ideal play for Latin literature courses—lively, funny, short, readable, and full of important insights into Roman family and social life.”
—Sharon James, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Henderson on Asinaria is a work of exceptional vitality and major significance for the field of Plautine and Latin literary studies.”
—Alison Sharrock, University of Manchester

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cover of Henderson's book features a painting of a nude woman with an elaborate feathered turban, looking in a mirror.

December 2006

LC: 2006007519 PA
272 pp.    6 x 9

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Paper $19.95 a
ISBN 978-0-299-21994-9
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