The Cambridge Companion to the Writings of Julius Caesar

by Luca Grillo (Editor), Christopher B. Krebs (Editor)

Overview

Well-known as a brilliant general and politician, Julius Caesar also played a fundamental role in the formation of the Latin literary language and remains a central figure in the history of Latin literature. With twenty-three chapters written by renowned scholars, this Companion provides an accessible introduction to Caesar as an intellectual along with a scholarly assessment of his multiple literary accomplishments and new insights into their literary value. The Commentarii and Caesar's lost works are presented in their historical and literary context. The various chapters explore their main features, the connection between literature, state religion and politics, Caesar's debt to previous Greek and Latin authors, and his legacy within and outside of Latin literature. The innovative volume will be of great value to all students and scholars of Latin literature and to those seeking a more rounded portrait of the achievements of Julius Caesar.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108206099
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/28/2017
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Literature
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Luca Grillo is an Associate Professor of Classics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of The Art of Caesar's Bellum Civile (Cambridge, 2012), a commentary on Cicero's De Provinciis Consularibus (2015), and various journal articles on the Gallic and Civil wars and on other authors, especially Virgil and Cicero.
Christopher B. Krebs is an Associate Professor of Classics and (by courtesy) German Studies at Stanford University, California. The recipient of the 2012 Christian Gauss Award, his publications include Negotiatio Germaniae (2005), A Most Dangerous Book (2012), and Time and Narrative in Ancient Historiography (edited with Jonas Grethlein, Cambridge, 2013). Future projects include an intellectual biography of Julius Caesar and a commentary on Caesar, Bellum Gallicum 7.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Caesarian questions: then, now, hence Luca Grillo and Christopher B. Krebs; Part I. Literature and Politics: 1. Caesar, literature and politics at the end of the Republic Kurt Raaflaub; 2. The Commentarii in their propagandistic context Christopher B. Krebs; 3. Caesar constructing Caesar William Batstone; 4. Priesthoods, gods and stars Jörg Rüpke; 5. The politics of geography Andrew M. Riggsby; 6. Nostri and 'the other(s)' Andrew C. Johnston; Part II. Genre, Rhetoric, Language and Style: 7. Genres and generic contaminations in the Commentarii Debra L. Nousek; 8. Caesar's style Christopher B. Krebs; 9. Speeches in the Commentarii Luca Grillo; 10. Wit and irony Anthony Corbeill; 11. Literary approaches to Caesar Luca Grillo; Part III. Fragmentary Works: 12. Caesar the linguist: the debate about the Latin language Giuseppe Pezzini; 13. Caesar's orations Henriette van der Blom; 14. Caesar's poetry in its context Sergio Casali; 15. Anticato Anthony Corbeill; 16. The letters of Caesar Ruth Morello; Part IV. Sources and Nachleben: 17. Caesar and Greek historians Luke Pitcher; 18. Caesar and Roman historiography prior to the Commentarii Martine Chassignet; 19. The Corpus Caesarianum Jan Felix Gaertner; 20. Caesar in Livy and Tacitus Christine S. Kraus; 21. Caesar, Virgil and Lucan Timothy A. Joseph; 22. Narrating the Gallic and Civil Wars with and beyond Caesar James Thorne; 23. Writing war with Caesar: the Commentarii's afterlife in military memoirs Hester Schadee.

Editorial Reviews

'In sum, this volume serves its purpose commendably: it presents a range of possibilities for approaching Caesar’s historical works as literary texts rather than merely as sources of evidence; it engages with Caesar as a literary figure beyond his historical writing with a battery of strong pieces on his fragmentary works; and it situates Caesar and his literary works in the context of the extended Greco-Roman and European tradition. In these ways, this collection succeeds in demonstrating how the 'historiographic turn', which reached Caesar’s writings relatively late, has now rehabilitated him as a literary artificer.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'Although his contemporaries judged him an excellent orator and writer, Caesar has traditionally received more scholarly attention for what he did than for what he wrote. This book remedies that neglect. Grillo and Krebs have gathered a top-notch group of experts to examine an impressive range of topics connected to the writings of Caesar. The contributions are uniformly informative and well written, and the editors have performed a difficult job with enviable efficiency and acumen. In fewer than 350 pages they give readers much detailed information, judiciously presented and up-to-date with current scholarship, that anyone interested in Caesar will want to read.' Choice

From the Publisher