Zeit und Freizeit: Seneca, Epistulae morales

The radical way in which Lucius Annaeus Seneca questions the thoughts and actions of his contemporaries, the enthusiasm with which he encourages his readers to strive for wisdom and happiness, and the urgency of his language made him one of the most widely read authors of Latin literature. In this selection from the Epistulae morales, Seneca shares some thoughts on the management of time and leisure. Along the way, one learns a bit about the everyday life of the Romans, albeit somewhat incidentally. The focus of his reflections is not on what people do in the forum or the amphitheater, but rather on what they should be doing instead. Seneca's goal is to impart the understanding of what is important and what is unimportant, what is valuable and what is trivial, in order to enable each individual to lead a happy life through their own efforts. The aim of this classica volume is to empower young people to engage critically with Seneca.