Cicero's Political Personae
Cicero's speeches provide a fascinating window into the political battles and crises of his time. In this book, Joanna Kenty examines Cicero's persuasive strategies and the subtleties of his Latin prose, and shows how he used eight political personae – the attacker, the grateful friend, the martyr, the senator, the partisan ideologue, and others – to maximize his political leverage in the latter half of his career. These personae were what made his arguments convincing, and drew audiences into Cicero's perspective. Non-specialist and expert readers alike will gain new insight into Cicero's corpus and career as a whole, as well as a better appreciation of the context, details, and nuances of individual passages.
- Addresses all of the speeches from the second half of Cicero's career
- Explores Cicero's use of literary and rhetorical techniques to intervene in specific political and historical circumstances
- Includes close philological readings of ancient texts with an appreciation for linguistic subtleties
Reviews & endorsements
'Kenty's thematic approach makes this book a welcome complement to scholarship that adopts a chronological approach to Cicero's writings.' J. Boersma, Choice
'… a well-informed and deeply researched study, but also a highly entertaining read for everyone'. Damian Pierzak, Institute of Literary Studies
'This is an important book for anyone interested in Cicero's speeches in the years after his return from exile, scholars and students alike. The author illuminates various aspects of Cicero's life and oratory, as well as some broader trends in Late Republican politics, and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Cicero's rhetoric.' Fabio Avesani, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Product details
September 2020Hardback
9781108839464
300 pages
235 × 160 × 25 mm
0.52kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The orator as attacker
- 2. The orator as friend
- 3. The orator as a martyr
- 4. The authority figure
- 5. The champion of the senate
- 6. The popular orator
- 7. The voice of a faction
- 8. A great man's spokesman
- Conclusion.
