Description
Book SynopsisFocuses on Rome's practitioner and theorist of public speech, Cicero. This book shows how Cicero's treatment of the Greek rhetorical tradition's central questions is shaped by his ideal of the republic and the citizen. It is a contribution to the debate over the role of public speech in Roman politics.
Trade Review"Connolly has applied her impressive theoretical and methodological strengths to this exciting examination of Roman rhetoric and political theory. Delving deeply into Cicero's works, Connolly considers the relationship between Cicero's vision of the Republic and of the Republican citizen. She proposes that rhetoric provides a crucial lens through which to understand Cicero and Roman politics. Connolly commands a wide range of resources to undergird her argument, including the traditions of Greek rhetoric as well as post-classical authors such as Gramsci, Foucault, and Habermas. In keeping with her scholarship to date, Connolly incorporates into this book analyses of education, class distinctions, and gender politics as they relate to the role of rhetoric in Rome."--J. de Luce, Miami University, for Choice "I have learned much from this book, and it is certain to continue to stimulate my thinking throughout this important election year in the United States... The need for a political community that depends upon mutual trust between leaders and led has received here an eloquent expression."--Anthony Corbeill, Rhetorical Review "This is, in the best sense, a very American book--thoughtful, historically aware, yet infused with optimism and vigor and deep republican ideals... Against the current American political scene, its conclusions read as nothing short of prescient."--Catherine Conybeare, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "With a comprehensive grasp of political theory and literary criticism, Connolly creates a compelling case for using classical rhetorical texts as a lens for viewing political thought."--Laurie Wilson, Journal of Roman Studies
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Abbreviations used xiii Introduction: Rhetoric and political thought 1 Chapter One: Founding the state of speech 23 Politics in public 30 Ideology and power 38 Expressions of traditional authority 47 The rhetoric of equality 56 The rationalized republic 65 Chapter Two: Naturalized citizens 77 The nature of republics 82 Introducing the problem: The Ciceronian preface 89 Rome, naturally 104 Hybridity 113 Chapter Three: The body politic 118 The problem with philosophers 121 The corporeal citizen 130 A theory of political communication 137 An alternative history of the self 148 Fragility 151 Chapter Four: The aesthetics of virtue 158 The problem of liberty 158 The republic of passions 163 Decorum: Enactment of civic love 169 Catullus's republican rhetoric 175 Oratory and liberty, decorum and consent 185 Falling in love with the law 191 Chapter Five: Republican theater 198 Being and seeming 200 The civic stage 211 Women and speech 214 The best orator 223 The terrors of collectivity 231 Chapter Six: Imperial reenactments 237 Replay and parody 239 Reading resistance in Augustan declamation 242 Quintilian: A republican education for autocracy 254 Conclusion: The Ciceronian citizen in a global world 262 Bibliography 275 Ancient sources 293 Index 295
