Representations

"This is the first book to undertake a study of how Cicero represented his raw material to the public. It does so in a very readable and attractive way, and none who take it up will find it easy to abandon."--Elaine Fantham, Princeton University

"The kind of study that enriches and enlivens our understanding. . . . There is nothing else like it in Ciceronian studies."--Eleanor Winsor Leach, Indiana University

Ann Vasaly introduces representation theory into the study of Ciceronian persuasion and contends that an understanding of milieu--social, political, topographical--is crucial to understanding Ciceronian oratory. As a genre uniquely dependent on an immediate interaction between author and audience, ancient oratory becomes performance art.
Vasaly investigates the way Cicero represented the contemporary physical world--places, topography, and monuments, both those seen and those merely mentioned--to his listeners and demonstrates how he used these representations to persuade. Her exceptionally well-written study deftly recaptures the immediacy of Cicero's oratory and makes a trenchant contribution to an important new area of inquiry in Classical Studies.