Claudian: De Raptu Proserpinae

An exhaustive study of Claudian's unfinished mythological epic, with a text, apparatus criticus, and commentary. The long introduction begins with a catalogue of manuscripts; and this leads to an investigation into the manuscript tradition and the history of the poem's transmission. Dr Hall then surveys the most important printed editions of the poem. He examines various theories of dating and discusses the sources of the story. He concludes the introduction with a brief critical assessment of the form and style of the poem. Dr Hall establishes his text after an examination of all the extant manuscripts. The apparatus, though very full, is selective in that it records readings of younger manuscripts only when they offer something new. It also ignores trifling corruptions. The commentary is similarly selective. In general, it discusses everything relevant to the establishing of the text and ignores points of purely mythological and literary interest.