Gold Barbara K. Literary Patronage in Greece and Rome

University of North Carolina Press, 1987. — 281 p.Focusing on literary evidence, Gold explores patronage in Greece and Rome through the words of the authors, revealing the forces that patronage exerted on genius and talent. The author argues that, although the patron was in important influence in the development of the literature written for and about him, the literary product emerged as a force in itself, independent of the influence of the patron. Gold sees the relationship between patron and literature as an integrator of the public and private realms.