Commentaries on Latin Letters
UVM Student Commentaries: what to expect
These commentaries typically have the following sections:
- Text
- The texts are not critical texts with apparatus: they are
good texts intended for student use. Textual problems are
occasionally noted, but not thoroughly addressed. The source
of the text is always given.
- Introduction
- The introduction generally discusses the "contents" of the
letter but not the Latin. If your interest is the content,
read the introduction.
- Commentary
- Usually, the Latin text is included here again, one section
at a time, followed by commentary, so that one can see the
text and the comments on one screen.
- Often, there is also a comment about the contents of the
section. This is a paraphrase of the section, not a
translation. Additional information needed to understand the
thought of the passage is often found here.
- The commentary section is intended to explain everything
that is likely to puzzle an intelligent student who has
completed a full year of college-level introductory Latin.
- The syntax is analyzed in grammatical terms:
- All subjunctives are identified.
- Idioms are identified and explained, insofar as
possible.
- Gerundives and gerunds are explained.
- Various less common case usages are noted.
- Any difficult passage is analyzed as fully and
compendiously as possible.
- Long sentences are dissected into clauses.
- A translation is occasionally offered of a single word or
short phrase, but translation is never given in lieu of
commentary: every difficult bit is explained.
- The pedagogical rationale behind this style of commentary
is that as students leave introductory Latin behind, they
often face a sea of vocabulary that absorbs a great deal of
their attention, to the detriment of syntax. Describing the
syntax of real Latin is different from textbook Latin, and
students need to get used to it. Too many commentaries
simply "punt" when it comes to difficult passages: in lieu
of explanation of why and how it means what
it does, they offer a translation of the difficult passage.
Generally speaking, however, good translations are readily
available and students are excellent researchers when it
comes to finding translations: they don't need help with
that. They need help with the explanation of the grammar so
that they can judge a translation.
- Vocabulary
- Most letters have vocabulary at the end.
- Almost every word in the letter has an entry, but words such
as et, cum, qui are usually omitted.
- The standard information is given (verb conjugation,
principal parts, gender, etc.).
- Variant spellings and forms are usually included with a
cross-reference to standard forms.
- One or more meanings that are appropriate for the letter's
use of the word are given. Meanings that are not found in the
letter are not given. This saves considerable time: looking in
the dictionary requires sifting through many meanings to find
the one that is appropriate. While students should develop
skills at that, they need even more to read a lot of Latin,
which is what the tailor-made vocabulary for each text allows.
- Sometimes bibliography or other relevant material is offered.
Many of the original authors of these commentaries wrote
the commentaries as assignments in Professor Bailly's classes.
Generally speaking, Prof. Bailly's "revision" was a thorough
revision which involved many changes, additions, omissions, and
verification of vocabulary. He should be held responsible for any
problems. Sometimes the original commentary is no longer
recognizable in the revisions. Occasionally, Prof. Bailly is
listed as 'editor,' which means that the listed author should
receive credit for the final product and Prof. Bailly offered
comments and suggestions rather than full revision. Student
commentaries are a wonderfully rewarding assignment for all
involved: students make many astute points and learn a lot in the
process. But even their mistakes are important and valuable too,
not only for the learning that the student does when a mistake is
pointed out: one can assume that if an intelligent student made a
mistake, the matter needs a comment in this sort of commentary.
Thus they help steer the nature of the commentary.