Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Author: Jon C. R. Hall

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2009-05-06

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0195329066

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This is a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and his correspondents, during the final decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it explores the distinctive conventions of epistolary courtesy that shaped formal interaction among men of the Roman elite.


Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Author: Jon C. R. Hall

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 9780199870233

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and his correspondents, during the final decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it explores the distinctive conventions of epistolary courtesy that shaped formal interaction among men of the Roman elite.


Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters

Author: Jon Hall

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-05-06

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0199716366

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Politeness and Politics in Cicero's Letters presents a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and correspondents, such as Pompey, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony during the final turbulent decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it argues that formal relationships between powerful members of the elite were constrained by distinct conventions of courtesy and etiquette. By examining in detail these linguistic conventions of politeness, Jon Hall presents new insights into the social manners that shaped aristocratic relationships. The book begins with a discussion of the role of letter-writing within the Roman aristocracy and the use of linguistic politeness to convey respect to fellow members of the elite. Hall then analyzes the deployment of conventionalized expressions of affection and goodwill to cultivate alliances with ambitious rivals and the diplomatic exploitation of "polite fictions" at times of political tension. The book also explores the strategies of politeness employed by Cicero and his correspondents when making requests and dispensing advice, and when engaging in epistolary disagreements. (His exchanges with Appius Claudius Pulcher, Munatius Plancus, and Mark Antony receive particular emphasis.) Its detailed analysis of specific letters places the reader at the very heart of Late Republican political negotiations and provides a new critical approach to Latin epistolography.


Philosophical Life in Cicero's Letters

Philosophical Life in Cicero's Letters

Author: Sean McConnell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-04-03

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1107040817

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A fresh and exciting study of Cicero's philosophical activities and the enduring interest of his ethical and political thought.


The Language of Roman Letters

The Language of Roman Letters

Author: Olivia Elder

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-10-03

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 1108480160

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Explores in depth how bilingualism in the correspondence of elite Romans illuminates their lives, relationships and identities.


The Gift of Correspondence in Classical Rome

The Gift of Correspondence in Classical Rome

Author: Amanda Wilcox

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres

Published: 2012-08-06

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 0299288331

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Amanda Wilcox offers an innovative approach to two major collections of Roman letters—Cicero’s Ad Familiares and Seneca’s Moral Epistles—informed by modern cross-cultural theories of gift-giving. By viewing letters and the practice of correspondence as a species of gift exchange, Wilcox provides a nuanced analysis of neglected and misunderstood aspects of Roman epistolary rhetoric and the social dynamics of friendship in Cicero’s correspondence. Turning to Seneca, she shows that he both inherited and reacted against Cicero’s euphemistic rhetoric and social practices, and she analyzes how Seneca transformed the rhetoric of his own letters from an instrument of social negotiation into an idiom for ethical philosophy and self-reflection. Though Cicero and Seneca are often viewed as a study in contrasts, Wilcox extensively compares their letters, underscoring Cicero’s significant influence on Seneca as a prose stylist, philosopher, and public figure.


The Politics of Eloquence

The Politics of Eloquence

Author: Marc Hanvelt

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2012-03-08

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1442696958

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History has shown us that the power of political speech can be put to both positive and manipulative ends - while rhetoric is a powerful tool for those who seek to persuade others to adopt their views, it can also be employed to foment factionalism and undermine the very basis of a democratic society. In this unique study, Marc Hanvelt shows how eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume confronted questions about the negative moral and political effects of rhetoric, and how he differentiated between manipulative and non-manipulative political speech. Drawing on Hume's philosophical, historical, and popular writings, The Politics of Eloquence presents an understanding of rhetoric that can be properly ascribed to this important thinker, an understanding hitherto overlooked in the scholarly literature. Offering an original approach to thinking about political rhetoric – an essential element of democratic politics – Hanvelt makes important contributions to both Hume scholarship and to broader areas in political theory and philosophy.


Writing Politics in Imperial Rome

Writing Politics in Imperial Rome

Author: William J. Dominik

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13:

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This collection of essays offers a comprehensive examination of the varied dynamics and strategies of political discourse and its concealment in Latin literature in the late republic and especially the early empire at Rome.


Philosophical Life in Cicero's Letters

Philosophical Life in Cicero's Letters

Author: Sean McConnell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-04-03

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1139916718

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Cicero's letters are saturated with learned philosophical allusions and arguments. This innovative study shows just how fundamental these are for understanding Cicero's philosophical activities and for explaining the enduring interest of his ethical and political thought. Dr McConnell draws particular attention to Cicero's treatment of Plato's Seventh Letter and his views on the relationship between philosophy and politics. He also illustrates the various ways in which Cicero finds philosophy an appealing and effective mode of self-presentation and a congenial, pointed medium for talking to his peers about ethical and political concerns. The book offers a range of fresh insights into the impressive scope and sophistication of Cicero's epistolary and philosophical practice and the vibrancy of the philosophical environment of the first century BC. A new picture emerges of Cicero the philosopher and philosophy's place in Roman political culture.