That Tyrant, Persuasion: How Rhetoric Shaped the Roman World

Rhetorical training in the Roman Empire influenced not only the words of literature but also significant deeds such as the killing of Julius Caesar, the construction of civic buildings and monuments, the making of laws, and the governance of the empire. J. E. Lendon's book "That Tyrant, Persuasion" explores how rhetoric created a grandiose imaginary world for the Roman ruling elite and how they struggled to force the real world to conform to it.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The assassins of Julius Caesar claimed to have slain a tyrant, and days later, their Senate colleagues suggested rewards for this act of tyrannicide. The assassins and their supporters spoke as if they were following a well-known script. They were. Their education was primarily in rhetoric, and as boys, they would have heard and delivered speeches on a ubiquitous set of themes, including one asserting that "he who kills a tyrant shall receive a reward from the city."

In "That Tyrant, Persuasion," J. E. Lendon delves into how rhetorical education in the Roman world influenced not only the words of literature but also momentous deeds: the killing of Julius Caesar, the construction of civic buildings and monuments, the enactment of laws, and, ultimately, how the empire itself should be run. By presenting a new account of Roman rhetorical education and its surprising practical consequences, "That Tyrant, Persuasion" demonstrates how rhetoric created a grandiose imaginary world for the Roman ruling elite—and how they struggled to force the real world to conform to it. Without rhetorical education, the Roman world would have been unimaginably different.

Weight: 668g
Dimension: 168 x 242 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691221007