Writing and Empire in Tacitus (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521897471)

Writing and Empire in Tacitus examines how Tacitus' historiographical career serves as an argument about his personal autonomy and social value under the peculiar political conditions of the early Roman Empire. Following the arc of his career from Agricola through Histories to Annals, this book focuses on ways in which Tacitus' writing makes implicit claims about his relationship to Roman society and about the political consequentiality of historical writing. In a sense, this book suggests, his literary career and the sense of alienation his works project form the ideal complement to his very successful political career, which, while desirable, might nonetheless give the impression of degrading submission to emperors. The discussion combines careful attention to the historian's explicit programmatic discussion of his work with larger-scale analysis of stretches of narrative that have unspoken but significant implications for how we view the function and importance of Tacitus' work.

Author: Dylan Sailor
ISBN-10: 0521897475
ISBN-13: 9780521897471
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 10/27/2008
Pages: 372
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.20d