Catullus: Student Text

Rating:
Summary: Excellent AP Text
Review: Amazingly helpful to prepare students for the AP test. Includes a biography about the author, commentaries, notes, and a glossary of words used in the poems.

Rating:
Summary: Usable, but flawed...
Review: Having just taken AP Catullus-Ovid, I must say that while this text seemed relatively well-done and useful at first, I soon found I simply couldn't ignore its large number of faults. Yes, it's nice that the poems have most of the vocab on the facing pages--but the author seems to insist on defining excruciatingly common words (like "amo" and "dico") multiple times while leaving more obscure words for the back of the book or ignoring them entirely. Bender's text must therefore be used with a Latin-English dictionary--not the end of the world, I know, but something that shouldn't be necessary for something like this billed as a "student text."

Another problem is that the author bases much of his commentary on his own crass assumptions. Bender seems to like pointing out poetic devices (notably chiasmus) that simply *aren't there.* The sparse commentary on each poem, too, is nearly useless from a scholarly standpoint; it's well and good to tell us that one poem "provides a window into the poet's tortured soul," but does it actually help students to appreciate the poem in any meaningful form? And some actual background information on the people and places Catullus mentions so frequently would really have been nice.

I do realize that this is merely an AP text, and certainly not one designed for the serious study of Catullus and his poetry. And it does have some positive aspects: much of each poem's (more common) vocab *is* defined on the facing pages, and the margins provide plenty of space to write the translation or one's own notes. I can't help but think that Bender and Forsyth could have tried just a *little* harder with the commentary and the vocab, however. For any AP student with more than a passing interest in Catullus, I'd recommend Garrison's text in conjunction with (or just instead of) Bender's.

Rating:
Summary: Usable, but flawed...
Review: Having just taken AP Catullus-Ovid, I must say that while this text seemed relatively well-done and useful at first, I soon found I simply couldn't ignore its large number of faults. Yes, it's nice that the poems have most of the vocab on the facing pages--but the author seems to insist on defining excruciatingly common words (like "amo" and "dico") multiple times while leaving more obscure words for the back of the book or ignoring them entirely. Bender's text must therefore be used with a Latin-English dictionary--not the end of the world, I know, but something that shouldn't be necessary for something like this billed as a "student text."

Another problem is that the author bases much of his commentary on his own crass assumptions. Bender seems to like pointing out poetic devices (notably chiasmus) that simply *aren't there.* The sparse commentary on each poem, too, is nearly useless from a scholarly standpoint; it's well and good to tell us that one poem "provides a window into the poet's tortured soul," but does it actually help students to appreciate the poem in any meaningful form? And some actual background information on the people and places Catullus mentions so frequently would really have been nice.

I do realize that this is merely an AP text, and certainly not one designed for the serious study of Catullus and his poetry. And it does have some positive aspects: much of each poem's (more common) vocab *is* defined on the facing pages, and the margins provide plenty of space to write the translation or one's own notes. I can't help but think that Bender and Forsyth could have tried just a *little* harder with the commentary and the vocab, however. For any AP student with more than a passing interest in Catullus, I'd recommend Garrison's text in conjunction with (or just instead of) Bender's.

Rating:
Summary: Dual Appeal Goes Deeper than just AP Prep
Review: I know from personal experience that this Catullus Student Text is an excellent preparation for the "A.P. Latin: Literature" test, and that students of all types in my class enjoyed using it. Like most AP texts, each poem is accompanied by vocabulary and grammar notes. However, the vocabulary notes offer more than just definition; some help to explain Catullus' word choice. For example, in Poem 1, Catullus appeals to "patrona virgo," his patron muse which the note explains is a reference to Homer's invocation of the muse. The collaboration of two editors, one a Ph.D high-school teacher and the other a Ph.D college professor, creates a student-friendly text that still encourages deeper exploration of the author's work. Moreover, brief introductions to each poem offer possible interpretations or help set the background for the poem. The editors make it clear, though, that these are only possibilities, leaving it to the students to come up with their own interpretation, aided by facts and concrete dates. These introductions also point the reader to other poems, which give more insight on the topic that Catullus is addressing. Every introduction states the meter of the poem, allowing students to practice scansion on their own.

It is the extra material, though, that truly makes the book superior. A map shows all the places described in Catullus' poems in relation to each other. The back of the book provides the metrical pattern for every meter used, the literary implications of each meter, and in which poems they are used. An Introduction describes not only Catullus' life and writing style, but gives the political background of that time period, placing all the poems in context. Moreover, the Introduction helps students get a better concept of Catullus' entire work by offering some scholarly arguments as to what order the poems were originally in, and why the editors chose to order them as they are in the text.

The accompanying Teacher's Manual, available separately, includes the poems in large type without notes, perfect for quick review in class as an overhead or worksheet. The manual also aids teachers with literal translations of the poems, practice tests, and understanding of the poems.

I highly recommend this AP Catullus text, in part because of the aid it provides for reading the poems, but more because it encourages students to develop their own informed understandings. The editors offer facts and dates, along with some possible explanations, but it is largely up to the student to explore the meanings of individual poems, as well as their connection with other poems. The desired result is to point to the significance of Catullus' work as a whole. Thus, this Catullus text is uniquely well suited for both the student who wishes to excel on the AP exam and the student who simply wishes to explore the beauty and passion in the work of Catullus.

Rating:
Summary: Dual Appeal Goes Deeper than just AP Prep
Review: I know from personal experience that this Catullus Student Text is an excellent preparation for the "A.P. Latin: Literature" test, and that students of all types in my class enjoyed using it. Like most AP texts, each poem is accompanied by vocabulary and grammar notes. However, the vocabulary notes offer more than just definition; some help to explain Catullus' word choice. For example, in Poem 1, Catullus appeals to "patrona virgo," his patron muse which the note explains is a reference to Homer's invocation of the muse. The collaboration of two editors, one a Ph.D high-school teacher and the other a Ph.D college professor, creates a student-friendly text that still encourages deeper exploration of the author's work. Moreover, brief introductions to each poem offer possible interpretations or help set the background for the poem. The editors make it clear, though, that these are only possibilities, leaving it to the students to come up with their own interpretation, aided by facts and concrete dates. These introductions also point the reader to other poems, which give more insight on the topic that Catullus is addressing. Every introduction states the meter of the poem, allowing students to practice scansion on their own.

It is the extra material, though, that truly makes the book superior. A map shows all the places described in Catullus' poems in relation to each other. The back of the book provides the metrical pattern for every meter used, the literary implications of each meter, and in which poems they are used. An Introduction describes not only Catullus' life and writing style, but gives the political background of that time period, placing all the poems in context. Moreover, the Introduction helps students get a better concept of Catullus' entire work by offering some scholarly arguments as to what order the poems were originally in, and why the editors chose to order them as they are in the text.

The accompanying Teacher's Manual, available separately, includes the poems in large type without notes, perfect for quick review in class as an overhead or worksheet. The manual also aids teachers with literal translations of the poems, practice tests, and understanding of the poems.

I highly recommend this AP Catullus text, in part because of the aid it provides for reading the poems, but more because it encourages students to develop their own informed understandings. The editors offer facts and dates, along with some possible explanations, but it is largely up to the student to explore the meanings of individual poems, as well as their connection with other poems. The desired result is to point to the significance of Catullus' work as a whole. Thus, this Catullus text is uniquely well suited for both the student who wishes to excel on the AP exam and the student who simply wishes to explore the beauty and passion in the work of Catullus.