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The politics of immorality in ancient Rome / Catharine Edwards ; with a foreword by Caroline Vout.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Edwards, Catharine, author.
- Series:
- Cambridge classical classics.
- Cambridge classical classics
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Latin literature--History and criticism.
- Latin literature.
- Moral conditions in literature.
- Politics and literature--Rome.
- Politics and literature.
- Literature and society--Rome.
- Literature and society.
- Ethics in literature.
- Sex in literature.
- Rome--Moral conditions.
- Rome.
- Rome--In literature.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (xliv, 230 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).
- Edition:
- Second edition.
- Place of Publication:
- Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.
- Summary:
- The question this book addresses is not how immoral the ancient Romans were, but why the literature they produced is so preoccupied with immorality. The modern image of immoral Rome derives from ancient accounts which are largely critical rather than celebratory. Far from being empty commonplaces, these accusations constituted a powerful discourse through which Romans negotiated conflicts and tensions in their social and political order. This study proceeds by a detailed examination of a wide range of translated ancient texts, exploring the dynamics of their rhetoric, as well as the ends to which they were deployed. Roman moralising discourse, Edwards suggests, may be seen as especially concerned with the articulation of anxieties about gender, social status and political power. This revised edition contains a substantial new Introduction which engages with critical and scholarly developments in the study of Roman culture since the original publication.
- Contents:
- Cover
- Half-title
- Series information
- Title page
- Imprints page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction to the Cambridge Classical Classics edition
- Introduction
- 1 A moral revolution? The law against adultery
- 2 Mollitia: Reading the body
- 3 Playing Romans: Representations of actors and the theatre
- 4 Structures of immorality: Rhetoric, building and social hierarchy
- 5 Prodigal Pleasures
- Bibliography
- Index locorum
- Index of subjects and proper names.
- Notes:
- Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Feb 2025).
- Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
- ISBN:
- 1-009-46410-8
- 1-009-46409-4
- OCLC:
- 1574122729
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