Epic in Republican Rome is the first extended literary treatment of early Latin epic. Goldberg views the creators of these now-fragmentary works not simply as predecessors of Vergil, who in important ways stands outside their tradition, but as pioneers and poets in their own right. Still, he goes beyond practical criticism. Exploring the literary experiments of Andronicus, Naevius, Ennius, and Cicero, Goldberg examines issues of poetry and patronage, cultural assimilation and national ideology, modeling and originality that both come to characterize Roman literature of all periods and continue to shape modern responses to that literature. The aesthetic questions raised are thus inseparable from the wider cultural context that encouraged poets to develop - and Roman society to value - an epic tradition in Latin. The book combines traditional literary and philological methods with modern techniques of cultural studies and contemporary inquiries into the formation of national literatures. What emerges from Goldberg's study is a fresh perspective on Vergil's achievement, with new insights into the cultural dynamics of Republican Rome.