Introduction (1–55)

Juvenal seizes our attention at the start of the introduction and holds it. He achieves bleak impact (and sets up the prevailing dark mood of the poem) by opening with a picture of a world of blind fools who bring danger and destruction on themselves. Further striking images (and exempla ) follow, and there are lively progressions, as J. veers off unexpectedly in new directions (suggesting an active mind busily probing and ranging about as it grapples with the topic of prayer). There are other methods of involving readers as well (such as not spelling out the point, and posing rhetorical questions). The humour, wit and irony (sometimes at J.'s own expense) are engaging too, as is the new Juvenal whom we encounter here (an intensely pessimistic and harshly mocking satirist with a global view, critical of Rome and all humanity). Hand in hand with that pessimism there is exaggeration and generalization and cynicism, but we also find common sense, intelligence and perceptiveness in this introduction, so that we are kept on our toes evaluating the poet's remarks (accepting, half-accepting or rejecting his points). We are left wondering how sincere and serious our author is, and how reliable. He also gets us thinking by raising some big issues. Is wealth worth pursuing? Is human life comic or tragic or tragicomic? Is the mocking approach to the world as something absurd usefully liberating? Is laughing in the face of adversity the right attitude? In addition, his stance towards things generally esteemed by the Romans (wealth, status and display) is irreverent and unconventional. All of that comes together to form a stimulating and provocative mixture. All of it also fits very well with what will follow in the remainder of X, so that lines 1–55 perform their introductory function effectively, on top of announcing the poem's main theme (prayer) and main thesis (humans pray for the superfluous, the meaningless and the pernicious). There are lots of other elements that usher in the rest of the poem too. This is an appropriately long introduction for a long satire.