Satyricon Review

Choosing to read this book, it is possible that I fell into a trap of my own devising, ironic after my discussion of what constitutes a classic.  Such respect do I have for classical works that I never doubted it would be worthwhile to read one of the most complete surviving literary works from Rome, especially considering that it is one of the oldest works of fiction in the world.  Every classical work I’ve read has offered some kind of unique insight, and so I did not do as much research as I usually do to see if Satyricon is something in which I would be interested.  I rather regret that now.

It is a kind of satire, written during the reign of Nero in Rome by an author often considered to be Nero’s Minister of Fashion (or an equivalent posting).  While I do not always enjoy satire, it can be quite well done, especially when it is incorporated into another genre, like much of Terry Pratchett’s writing.  At the least, I figured I would learn something about Nero’s Rome, which I suppose I did – I learned that it was remarkably vulgar and fixated on physical pleasures.  Rarely have I found a book as discomfiting as I did Satyricon.

The section on Trimalchio’s dinner was mildly interesting and reminded me of the various dinner parties described in works of Plato and Xenophon, but it was not interesting enough to make up for the rest of the book.  Though quite complete, the text also features supplements written by later translators which are so well done or so old that they are themselves considered classic, like the “graffiti” you can find on ancient castles in Europe that dates to the Middle Ages.  These are quite seamless, especially considering how poorly lacunae in these works tend to be filled.  While I’m glad that the added portions are marked, I am not sure which approach to lacunae I prefer – to offer a substitution as in this case, or to call out what is missing and provide a scholarly analysis of what content may be missing.

This is several disappointing books in a row, although I take most responsibility for this one, since if I had not just assumed that a text from ancient Rome was worth reading, I would have realized ahead of time that this was unlikely to be my kind of reading.  Hopefully Thistlefoot, which is up next for me, will be more satisfying.  Maybe you will find something valuable in reading the Satyricon – many people seem to have, throughout history – but this is one classic that didn’t work for me.