Greek Declamation and the Roman Empire
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:6th Jul '23
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Shows how Greek declamation's staging of the Classical past was of vital importance for the Greek imperial present.
Re-evaluates a genre that was central to the Greek literature of the high Roman empire. Rejecting traditional conceptions of the genre as 'nostalgic', it explores the significance of Greek declamation's re-enactment of classical history for its own times and how it contributed to identity formation, social interaction and political discussion.A Greek declamation was an 'imaginary speech': a fictitious speech composed for a rhetorical scenario set in Classical Greece. Although such speeches began as rhetorical exercises, under the high Roman empire they developed into a full-blown prestigious genre in their own right. This first monograph on Greek declamation for nearly forty years re-evaluates a genre that was central to Greek imperial literature and to ancient and modern notions of the 'Second Sophistic'. Rejecting traditional conceptions of the genre as 'nostalgic', this book considers the significance of Greek declamation's re-enactment of classical history for its own times, and integrates the genre into the wider history of the period. It shows through extended readings how the genre came to constitute a powerful and subtle instrument of identity formation and social interaction, and a site for free thinking on issues of major contemporary importance such as imperialism and inter-polis relations.
'Based on a personal reading of the sources and on an extensive bibliography, written in a persuasive tone, W. Guast's demonstration is solid and nuanced … [the author] sheds additional light on a rhetorical genre that is important, though at times, disdained.' Laurent Pernot , Bryn Mawr Classical Review
ISBN: 9781009297127
Dimensions: 235mm x 159mm x 18mm
Weight: 480g
238 pages