(Jay) David Konstan (November 1, 1940 – May 2, 2024) was an American

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and academic, known for his work on notions of

emotion Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...

and

beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...

in the ancient world, as well as others on Latin poetry, Epicurean philosophy, the Greek novel, ancient ideas of friendship, and other topics. A Professor of Classics at

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

, he previously spent three decades teaching at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, where he was John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Classics and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature. Konstan received his B.A. (in mathematics), M.A., and Ph.D. (in Latin) degrees, all from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Konstan died May 2, 2024, at the age of 83.

Bibliography

One of his books has been reviewed in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

''. Some of his books are: * ''The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks: Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature'' * ''A Life Worthy of the Gods: The Materialist Psychology of Epicurus'' * ''Before Forgiveness: The Origins of a Moral Idea'' * ''Friendship in the Classical World'' * ''Roman Comedy'' * ''Sexual Symmetry: Love in the Ancient Novel and Related Genres'' * ''Greek Comedy and Ideology'' * ''Some Aspects of Epicurean Psychology'' * ''Catullus' Indictment of Rome: The meaning of Catullus 64''

References

External links

* http://classics.as.nyu.edu/object/DavidKonstan.html * http://hellenic.as.nyu.edu/object/DavidKonstan.html * https://vivo.brown.edu/display/dkonstan 1940 births 2024 deaths 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers New York University faculty Brown University faculty American male non-fiction writers Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni {{US-historian-stub