Michael Courtney Jenkins Putnam (born September 20, 1933) is an American

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

specializing in

Latin literature Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings written in the Latin language. The beginning of formal Latin literature dates to 240 BC, when the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Latin literature ...

, but has also studied literature written in many other languages. Putnam has been particularly influential in his publications concerning

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

‘s ‘’

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

‘’. He is the son of politician and businessman

Roger Putnam Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 – November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as direct ...

. Putnam received his B.A., M.A., and Ph. D. from Harvard. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1959 he taught at

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

for a year. He then moved on to teach at Brown University and serving as W. Duncan MacMillan II Professor of Classics and a professor of comparative literature for 48 years before retiring in 2008. He was awarded the 1963

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

,and was later a Resident (1970) and Mellon Professor in Charge of the Classical School (1989-91). He was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

in 1996 and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...

in 1998. He served as sole trustee of

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark ...

from 1967 to 1987. Asteroid 2557 Putnam was named in his and his father’s honor. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 8 April 1982 ().

Publications

In addition to the countless articles and reviews Michael C. J. Putnam has written, he has written many books. * The Poetry of the Aeneid (1965) * Virgil’s Pastoral Art: Studies in the Eclogues (1970) * Tibullus: A Commentary (1973) * Virgil’s Poem of the Earth (1979) * Essays on Latin Lyric, Elegy, and Epic (1982) * Artifices of Eternity: Horace’s Fourth Book of Odes (1986) * Virgil’s Aeneid: Interpretation and Influence (1995) * Virgil’s Epic Designs: Ekphrasis in the Aeneid (1998) * Horace’s ‘’Carmen Saeculare’': Ritual Magic and the Poet’s Art (2000) * The Humanness of Heroes: Studies in the Conclusion of Virgil’s Aeneid (2011) He has also recently translated and edited Maffeo Vegio: Short Epics (2004); Poetic Interplay: Catullus and Horace (2006).The Directory of Research and Researchers at Brown: Michael C.J. Putnam
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References

External links

Brown University Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Michael C. J. 1933 births Living people Writers from Springfield, Massachusetts American classical scholars Harvard University alumni Smith College faculty Classical scholars of Brown University Scholars of Latin literature Members of the American Philosophical Society