SATYRICON

Documenting the colorful escapades of the former gladiator Encolpius and his less-than-faithful lover Giton, the Satyricon plunges the reader into the lives of ordinary Roman citizens, vividly revealing the Empire’s seamy underbelly. A host of unforgettable characters are satirically presented, such as Trimalchio, the pretentious parvenu host, in a memorable banquet scene; the lascivious priestess Quartilla; and the narrator’s unreliable, roguish friend Ascyltus. Sometimes referred to as the first novel—although surviving only in fragments—this bawdy, picaresque, and surprisingly modern narrative is considered one of the founding masterpieces of Western literature.