Tibullus and the British Empire

Abstract

In 1758 the Scottish writer James Grainger published a translation of the classical Roman poet Tibullus which was reprinted into the 20th century. The translation itself and related evidence on its composition, publication and reception are used to provide a detailed exploration of mid-eighteenth-century strategies for translating the classics. Particular attention is paid to Grainger’s controversy with the novelist and editor Tobias Smollett and the arguments it raised about the language suitable for poetry, the intended audience for a translation of this sort, and how to deal with ancient Roman views of sexuality which were problematic for the reading public of Grainger’s time. The circumstances surrounding the publication of Grainger’s translation (especially the patronage of a wealthy West Indian planter) are also used to suggest how one of the effects of translating Roman love poetry was to provide an apology for British colonial slavery.