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This text describes the relationship between Latin literature and the politics of ancient Rome. The author argues that literature was a cultural practice that emerged from and intervened in the political and social struggles at the heart of the Roman world. He considers works by such authors as Cato, Cicero, Horace, Ovid, and Seneca. He aims to demonstrate that, from its beginnings in the late third century BC to its eclipse by Christian literature six hundred years later, classical literature served the evolving interests of Roman and aristocratic power.
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The Politics of Latin Literature
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The Politics of Latin Literature WRITING, IDENTITY, AND EMPIRE IN ANCIENT ROME Thomas N. Habinek
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright 1998 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Habinek, Thomas N., 1953– The politics of Latin literature : writing, identity, and empire in ancient Rome / Thomas N. Habinek. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 0-691-06827-5 (cl : alk. paper) 1. Latin literature—History and criticism. 2. Authorship—Political aspects—Rome. 3. Politics and literature—Rome. 4. Group identity in literature. 5. Imperialism in literature. I. Title. PA6029.P64H33 1998 870.9′001 dc21 97-40074 CIP This book has been composed in Sabon Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources http://pup.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America 1
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
ix
INTRODUCTION
3
CHAPTER ONE Latin Literature and the Problem of Rome
15
CHAPTER TWO Why Was Latin Literature Invented?
34
CHAPTER THREE Cicero and the Bandits
69
CHAPTER FOUR Culture Wars in the First Century B.C.E.
88
CHAPTER FIVE Writing as Social Performance
103
CHAPTER SIX Roman Women’s Useless Knowledge
122
CHAPTER SEVEN An Aristocracy of Virtue
137
CHAPTER EIGHT Pannonia Domanda Est: The Construction of the Imperial Subject through Ovid’s Poetry from Exile
151
Notes
171
Index of Passages Cited
223
General Index
229
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK had its origin in a conversation many years ago with Joanna Hitchcock, who urged me to present my ideas about the political and social dimensions of Latin literature through examination of a set of interrelated episodes. Since that time more scholars and friends than I can adequately thank have provided valuable advice and encouragement. Here I would like to record special debts to Martin Bloomer and Leslie Kurke, who served as sounding boards for many of the ideas contained within this study; to Erik Gunderson, who did double duty as critic and research assistant; to Carolyn Dewald, Page duBois, and Stephen Hinds, who responded thoughtfully to oral or written presentations of some or all of the chapters published here; to Victoria Wohl for assistance at an early stage; to Mark Griffith and William Fitzgerald for their expressions of confidence; to the anonymous referees, who helped me to articulate the unifying themes of the book; to Brigitta van Rheinberg, who both shepherded