Nox Philologiae: Aulus Gellius and the Fantasy of the Roman Library

329 Pages·2008·2.147 MB·English

by  Erik Gunderson

Nox philologiae
7
Publication of this volume has been made possible in part
through the generous support and enduring vision of
warren g. moon
nox philologiae
7
Aulus Gellius and the
Fantasy of the Roman Library
rik underson
E G
the university of wisconsin press
The University of Wisconsin Press
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Madison, Wisconsin 53711-2059
www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/
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Copyright © 2009
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or
a Web site without written permission of the University of Wisconsin Press, except
in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews.
1 3 5 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gunderson, Erik.
Nox philologiae : Aulus Gellius and the fantasy of the Roman library /
Erik Gunderson.
p. cm. — (Wisconsin studies in classics)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn978-0-299-22970-2(cloth : alk. paper)
1. Gellius, Aulus. Noctes Atticae. 2. Civilization, Greco-Roman—Sources.
3. Learning and scholarship—Rome. I. Title. II. Series.
pa6391.g86 2009
878´.01—dc22 2008012088
Contents
Editor’s Title Page / vii
Editor’s Preface / ix
Original Title Page / 1
The Author’s Preface: Verfremdungseffekt / 5
The Other Preface: Again and Again / 8
The Third Preface: Gellius’s Preface / 18
Table of Contents / 45
Volume One
Book One: Authority / 55
Book Two: Logic / 99
Book Three: Usage / 132
Book Four: Index of Names / 166
Book Five: Index of Things / 202
Volume Two
Book Six: Books of Books / 225
Book Seven: Authors of the Author / 252
Book Eight: Readers of Readings / 287
Appendix: It Was to Be/It Is to Be / 288
Unplaced Fragments / 299
Spurious Fragments / 305
Bibliography / 307

nox philologiae
7
Aulus Gellius and the
Fantasy of the Roman Library
nonymous
by A
Edited and with an introduction by
rik underson
E G
the university of wisconsin press

Praefatio Editoris
Now that the first printing of this volume has long since become generally
unavailable and is only to be found with some difficulty on the dustiest
shelves of select antiquarian bookshops, the hour has perhaps arrived to
make the Nox Philologiae broadly accessible once again for the benefit of
contemporary readers. At a minimum, the history of classical scholarship
is a vital element of the discipline of classics itself. And in that spirit I might
justly offer this text to the public. It is my hope, though, that there is nev-
ertheless more on offer in the Nox than just the fodder for some incidental
footnotes in books yet to come. I would wish that readers might find some-
thing to amuse and even to edify in this strange little book of yesteryear.
“Nothing odd will do long,” said Dr. Johnson. And yet my memories of
reading this are lasting. I like to imagine that others as well will derive from
it pleasures that are, if not even greater, at least as enduring.
ix