The Passions In Roman Thought And Literature

New essays by an international team of scholars in Latin literature and ancient philosophy explore the understanding of emotions (or 'passions5) in Roman thought and literature. Building on recent work on Hellenistic theories of emotion and on philosophy as therapy, they look closely at the interface between ancient philosophy (especially Stoic and Epicurean), rhetorical theory, conventional Roman thinking and literary portrayal. There are fresh, searching studies of the emotional thought-world of a range of writers: Catullus, Cicero, Virgil, Seneca, Statius, Tacitus and Juvenal. Issues of current debate such as the ethical colour of Aeneas' angry killing of Turnus at the end of the Aeneid are placed in a broader and illuminating perspective. Written in clear and non-technical language, with Greek and Latin translated, the volume opens up a fascinating area on the borders of philosophy and literature. THE PASSIONS IN ROMAN THOUGHT AND LITERATURE THE PASSIONS IN ROMAN THOUGHT AND LITERATURE EDITED BY SUSANNA MORTON BRAUND Professor of Latin, Royal Holloway, University ofLondon AND CHRISTOPHERGILL Reader in Ancient Thought, University ofExeter CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDIC ATE OF THE UNIVERSITYOF CAM BRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, United Kingdom 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia © Cambridge University Press 1997 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1997 Typeset in Baskerville 11/12^ pt A catalogue recordfor this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress cataloguing in publication data The passions in Roman thought and literature / edited by Susanna Morton Braund and Christopher Gill p. cm. Based on a conference held at the University of Exeter in July 1992. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN o 521 47391 8 (hardback) 1. Latin literature - History and criticism. 2. Emotions in literature. 3. Philosophy, Ancient. 4. Rome - In literature. 1. Braund, Susanna Morton. 11. Gill, Christopher. PA6029.E56P37 1997 8 7°-9'353- dc21 96-47371 C I P ISBN 0521473918 Transferred to digital printing 2005 Contents Preface Conventions page ix x Introduction I About this volume Susanna Morton Braund and Christopher Gill II The emotions in Greco-Roman philosophy I 5 Christopher Gill 1 Epicurean anger D. P. Fowler, Jesus College, Oxford 16 2 Cicero and the expression of grief Andrew Ershine, University College, Dublin 36 3 The subjugation of grief in Seneca's Epistles Marcus Wilson, University ofAuckland 48 4 A passion unconsoled? Grief and anger in Juvenal Satire 13 Susanna Morton Braund, Royal Holloway, University of London 68 5 Passion, reason and knowledge in Seneca's tragedies Alessandro Schiesaro, King's Coll