Description
Book SynopsisIn the 40s BCE, during his forced retirement from politics under Caesar's dictatorship, Cicero turned to philosophy, producing a massive and important body of work. This title examines the rhetorical battle that Cicero stages in his philosophical prefaces - a battle between the forces that would oppose or support his project.
Trade Review"[T]his is an excellent study, and will be valuable reading for anyone interested in Cicero's philosophical works and the cultural and political environments from which they emerged."--Walter Englert, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "The attention to detail, textual and contextual, throughout A Written Republic makes Baraz's argument a persuasive one."--Christopher Brooke, Perspectives on Politics "Baraz's discussion shows that she knows her political history, which suggests that the strict focus on the prefaces and Cicero's justifications of his philosophical project is a conscious choice. Indeed, at all times Baraz guides her reader lucidly through her argument. More importantly, Baraz's book is full of new ideas and developments of existing ideas... Baraz's observations and interpretations push forward our understanding of Cicero's philosophical engagement and, indeed, the relationship between this engagement and his political activity. Baraz is to be commended for providing such a stimulating study."--Henriette van der Blom, British Journal for the History of Philosophy "Baraz's stimulating and nuanced argument about Cicero's literary and political goals should make this book a standard reference for anyone interested in Cicero, his philosophical program, or the intellectual life of the Late Republic."--Jonathan P. Zarecki, CJ-Online "[T]his book has much to recommend it, and anyone writing on Cicero's philosophical works will profit from its careful attention to the details of the prefaces."--J. Jackson Barlow, Review of Politics "The result is a fine contribution to Ciceronian studies, which deserves attention not only from those who work on his philosophy but from those interested in any aspect of his writings."--Catherine Steel, Gnomon
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Abbreviations and Translations xi Introduction 1 Chapter One: Otiose Otium: The Status of Intellectual Activity in Late Republican Prefaces 13 Cicero's Ennius, or Anxiety about Too Much Philosophy 15 Sallust, or Anxiety about Writing 22 Rhetorica ad Herennium, or Anxiety about Status 36 Chapter Two: On a More Personal Note: Philosophy in the Letters 44 Philosophy as a Basis for Action 46 Philosophy and Politics 67 Writing as a Primary Occupation 78 The Consolation of Philosophy 86 Chapter Three: The Gift of Philosophy: The Treatises as Translations 96 The Shape of Translation: Tusculans I 103 Why Translation? De Finibus I 113 Chapter Four: With the Same Voice: Oratory as a Transitional Space 128 The Philosophizing Orator: A Stoic or an Academic? Cato versus Cicero in the Paradoxa Stoicorum 131 Always Philosophizing: Cicero as the Linchpin in De Natura Deorum I 137 From Oratory to Philosophy: The Logic of Tusculan Disputations I 140 Chapter Five: Reading a Ciceronian Preface: Strategies of Reader Management 150 Making Friends with Strangers: Topica 156 Drawing Strength from Tradition: De Senectute 173 Chapter Six: Philosophy after Caesar: The New Direction 187 Looking Back: De Divinatione II 188 From the Ides to the De Officiis 194 From Quintus the Elder to Marcus the Younger: The Pattern of Dedications 204 The Final Encounter: De Officiis 212 Bibliography 225 Index Locorum 243 General Index 249
