Suetonius the Biographer
Journal Data
| Type | SOURCE_BOOK |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (GB) |
| ISBN-13 | 9780199697106 |
| Open Library | OL21070319W |
| Total publications | 13 |
| Coverage period | 2014 - 2014 |
| Language | EN |
The biographer Suetonius is one of the most fascinating writers of ancient Rome, but he is rarely afforded serious critical attention. This volume of new essays focuses on the various aspects of Suetonius' work, from his lost biographical writing on Roman courtesans to his imperial portraits of the Caesars.
Suetonius’ Famous Courtesans
This chapter reconstructs the work attested by the sixth-century writer John Lydus as Suetonius’ Famous Courtesans, a title which has long been used as evidence for the biographer’s prurient interests. Misconceptions about the work are refuted first, followed by a survey of what is known about ancient courtesan literature in general. It is argued that the Famous Courtesans was not in fact a collection of biographies at all, but rather a scholarly…
Introduction
This introduction discusses the biographical form of Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars, asking what defines a Suetonian biography. Two of its key features are identified: the consistent use of the third person and the division of material into thematic categories. Suetonius is seen as unique in these two regards, with the nearest parallel to the first being Augustus’ continuous use of the first person in the Res Gestae. The possibility that Suetoni…
The Mirror in the Text
E.g. Augustus
This chapter looks at the role of exemplarity in Suetonius’ Divine Augustus and how this theme continues in the following biography of the emperor Tiberius. It is argued that Augustus is portrayed as the ultimate model for the principate, and that this model plays for irony in the next Life, where Tiberius fails to live up to the standard set by his predecessor. Suetonius’ relationship to the Res Gestae is discussed, as well as those places in th…
Rhetorics of Assassination
This chapter studies the various ancient accounts of the death of the emperor Gaius Caligula in order to show how many of the themes and metaphors in Suetonius’ version of this event were already present in the earlier tradition. At the same time, the originality of Suetonius, in using this material to particularly great effect, is demonstrated through comparative analysis of other historians. Caligula’s well-known sayings come back to haunt him …
Was Suetonius’ Julius a Caesar?
This chapter explores the anomaly of Suetonius’ first biography, the Divine Julius, and its importance for the rest of the collection. It is shown that both Caesar the historical person and his biography are recurring themes in the subsequent Lives, as both examples and warnings. The structure of the Julius itself and its indications of sources are intricately catalogued, and evidence for Suetonius’ writing process throughout the collection is as…
Suetonius and the uiri illustres of Pliny the Younger
This chapter compares the literary figures mentioned in Pliny the Younger’s Letters with the biographical subjects in the remains of Suetonius’ Illustrious Men. Places of overlap and divergence between the two contemporary authors are discussed, and conclusions are drawn about their different reasons for including the names that they do. Pliny’s senatorial outlook is held to explain his greater emphasis on writers of the later Julio-Claudian era,…
Exemplary Influences and Augustus’ Pernicious Moral Legacy
This chapter turns to the less often discussed, negative side of Suetonius’ generally laudatory biography of Augustus, arguing that the portrayal of the emperor’s private relationships with the female members of his family constitute a critique of his exemplarity, especially when one considers the strict marriage laws that he instituted, but personally failed to uphold. Suetonius’ presentation of material relating to Augustus’ domestic life is co…
The Endings of Suetonius’ Caesars
This chapter evaluates the final sections of Suetonius’ Caesars with regard to the notion of ‘closure’ in ancient biographical and historical texts. It is shown that Suetonius utilizes the endings of his individual Lives to solidify the entire collection, either alluding to earlier parts of the Caesars, or foreshadowing later biographies. These allusions reinforce the resolution of conflicts in the imperial Lives, rather than hinting at ways to r…
Suetonius the Ventriloquist
This chapter surveys Suetonius’ prose style, particularly his tendency to include the emperors’ own words in verbatim quotation. The metaphor of the ‘ventriloquist’ is apt for Suetonius, who frequently uses his biographical subject’s own language to display their character. This method is in direct contrast with the custom of Roman historians, especially Tacitus, who rewrites the original material in his sources, including speeches, to fit with t…
Suetonius and the Origin of Pantomime
This chapter analyses an often-ignored fragment in Diomedes’ Ars grammatica, on the origin of pantomime, that has been disputed as deriving from either Suetonius’ Illustrious Men or his writing on games. An argument is made for the latter, and Tertullian’s use of Suetonius is also compared, to shed light on the writing’s structure. Suetonius’ probable source for this discussion was Varro, and it therefore contains trustworthy information. The dev…
Another Look at Suetonius’ Titus
This chapter analyses Suetonius’ briefest biography in the Caesars, that of the emperor Titus, which is often seen as structurally anomalous and favourably one-sided. Suetonius’ account of Titus is compared with passages in Tacitus and Dio, whose similar judgements on the emperor’s character indicate that the earlier sources attributed the good reputation of Titus’ reign to fortune, a perspective that Suetonius implicitly combats. Dio’s negative …
Suetonius the Biographer
The biographer Suetonius is one of the most fascinating writers of ancient Rome, but he is rarely afforded serious critical attention. This volume of new essays focuses on the various aspects of Suetonius' work, from his lost biographical writing on Roman courtesans to his imperial portraits of the Caesars
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Suetonius’ Famous Courtesans
This chapter reconstructs the work attested by the sixth-century writer John Lydus as Suetonius’ Famous Courtesans, a title which has long been used as evidence for the biographer’s prurient interests. Misconceptions about the work are refuted first, followed by a survey of what is known about ancient courtesan literature in general. It is argued that the Famous Courtesans was not in fact a collection of biographies at all, but rather a scholarly…
Introduction
This introduction discusses the biographical form of Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars, asking what defines a Suetonian biography. Two of its key features are identified: the consistent use of the third person and the division of material into thematic categories. Suetonius is seen as unique in these two regards, with the nearest parallel to the first being Augustus’ continuous use of the first person in the Res Gestae. The possibility that Suetoni…
The Mirror in the Text
E.g. Augustus
This chapter looks at the role of exemplarity in Suetonius’ Divine Augustus and how this theme continues in the following biography of the emperor Tiberius. It is argued that Augustus is portrayed as the ultimate model for the principate, and that this model plays for irony in the next Life, where Tiberius fails to live up to the standard set by his predecessor. Suetonius’ relationship to the Res Gestae is discussed, as well as those places in th…
Rhetorics of Assassination
This chapter studies the various ancient accounts of the death of the emperor Gaius Caligula in order to show how many of the themes and metaphors in Suetonius’ version of this event were already present in the earlier tradition. At the same time, the originality of Suetonius, in using this material to particularly great effect, is demonstrated through comparative analysis of other historians. Caligula’s well-known sayings come back to haunt him …
Was Suetonius’ Julius a Caesar?
This chapter explores the anomaly of Suetonius’ first biography, the Divine Julius, and its importance for the rest of the collection. It is shown that both Caesar the historical person and his biography are recurring themes in the subsequent Lives, as both examples and warnings. The structure of the Julius itself and its indications of sources are intricately catalogued, and evidence for Suetonius’ writing process throughout the collection is as…
Suetonius and the uiri illustres of Pliny the Younger
This chapter compares the literary figures mentioned in Pliny the Younger’s Letters with the biographical subjects in the remains of Suetonius’ Illustrious Men. Places of overlap and divergence between the two contemporary authors are discussed, and conclusions are drawn about their different reasons for including the names that they do. Pliny’s senatorial outlook is held to explain his greater emphasis on writers of the later Julio-Claudian era,…
Exemplary Influences and Augustus’ Pernicious Moral Legacy
This chapter turns to the less often discussed, negative side of Suetonius’ generally laudatory biography of Augustus, arguing that the portrayal of the emperor’s private relationships with the female members of his family constitute a critique of his exemplarity, especially when one considers the strict marriage laws that he instituted, but personally failed to uphold. Suetonius’ presentation of material relating to Augustus’ domestic life is co…
The Endings of Suetonius’ Caesars
This chapter evaluates the final sections of Suetonius’ Caesars with regard to the notion of ‘closure’ in ancient biographical and historical texts. It is shown that Suetonius utilizes the endings of his individual Lives to solidify the entire collection, either alluding to earlier parts of the Caesars, or foreshadowing later biographies. These allusions reinforce the resolution of conflicts in the imperial Lives, rather than hinting at ways to r…
Suetonius the Ventriloquist
This chapter surveys Suetonius’ prose style, particularly his tendency to include the emperors’ own words in verbatim quotation. The metaphor of the ‘ventriloquist’ is apt for Suetonius, who frequently uses his biographical subject’s own language to display their character. This method is in direct contrast with the custom of Roman historians, especially Tacitus, who rewrites the original material in his sources, including speeches, to fit with t…
Suetonius and the Origin of Pantomime
This chapter analyses an often-ignored fragment in Diomedes’ Ars grammatica, on the origin of pantomime, that has been disputed as deriving from either Suetonius’ Illustrious Men or his writing on games. An argument is made for the latter, and Tertullian’s use of Suetonius is also compared, to shed light on the writing’s structure. Suetonius’ probable source for this discussion was Varro, and it therefore contains trustworthy information. The dev…
Another Look at Suetonius’ Titus
This chapter analyses Suetonius’ briefest biography in the Caesars, that of the emperor Titus, which is often seen as structurally anomalous and favourably one-sided. Suetonius’ account of Titus is compared with passages in Tacitus and Dio, whose similar judgements on the emperor’s character indicate that the earlier sources attributed the good reputation of Titus’ reign to fortune, a perspective that Suetonius implicitly combats. Dio’s negative …
Suetonius the Biographer
The biographer Suetonius is one of the most fascinating writers of ancient Rome, but he is rarely afforded serious critical attention. This volume of new essays focuses on the various aspects of Suetonius' work, from his lost biographical writing on Roman courtesans to his imperial portraits of the Caesars