Foreshadowing and Flashback
Childhood Anecdotes in Suetonius’ Caesars
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9665705 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Phoebe Garrett (0000-0002-3135-515X, Australian National University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 378-383 |
| Publication date | 2019-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Classical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8388 • E-ISSN: 1471-6844 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009838819000314 |
| OpenAlex | W2950574669 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars contain at least twenty discrete anecdotes about childhood ( pueritia ) and youth ( iuuenta or adulescentia ) spread across the Lives . Some characterize the Caesars by looking forwards (foreshadowing) and others do so by looking backwards (flashbacks). In both foreshadowing and flashback, the childhood anecdote shows continuity with the adult and creates the impression of lifelong consistency of character. The foreshadowing technique is also something other ancient biographers do; the flashback is something that appears to be unique to Suetonius. In this note I briefly consider the stories from childhood and youth that foreshadow character traits and themes of the rest of the Life , and then the flashbacks from the adulthood section of the Life that refer to childhood and youth in order to demonstrate vices of the grown adult. I show that the use of foreshadowing and flashbacks contributes to the appearance of a fully formed character in the child that will be consistent into adulthood, as well as facilitating the rubric system of arranging material by type rather than by time
Anecdote · Art · Character (mathematics · Consistency (knowledge bases · Flashback · Literature · Chemistry · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Historical and Architectural Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Psychology
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Character Assassination throughout the Ages
Plutarch on the childhood of Alkibiades ( Alk. 2–3)
Adults and Children in the Roman Empire
The Garden of Priapus
The Question of Character-Development
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |