Dr. Kirk Freudenburg

Biography

Kirk Freudenburg is a Professor in the Department of Classics at Yale University, where he has been teaching since 2006, following positions at Kent State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois. He has served as Associate Dean of Humanities at Ohio State University and held the position of Chair in the Department of Classics at the University of Illinois. His research has primarily focused on the social life of Roman letters, with an emphasis on the unique cultural encodings that shape Roman poetic ideas. He specializes in the practical implementation of concepts related to specific poetic forms, particularly satire. His current work delves into Virgil’s Aeneid, contributing to his scholarly reputation with numerous publications, including 'Walking Muse: Horace Theory Satire' (Princeton, 1993), 'Satires Rome: Threatening Poses Lucilius Juvenal' (Cambridge, 2001), and Cambridge Companion to Roman Satire (Cambridge, 2005). He is also a co-editor of 'Horace's Satires Book II' as part of the Cambridge Greek Latin Classics series (Cambridge University Press, 2021). His recent book, 'Virgil’s Cinematic Art: Vision Narrative Aeneid' (Oxford University Press, 2023), received the 2024 Alexander G. McKay Prize from the Vergilian Society, which will be awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Classical Studies in January 2025. An in-depth discussion of his recent book was featured on Tel Podcast, hosted by Sebastian Wetherbee. He is currently working on a commentary for Aeneid 12 as part of a new commentary series on the Aeneid, forthcoming from Lorenzo Valla in Milan.

Research Interests