Conspiracy Theory in Latin Literature

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Rome
Cover of the book Conspiracy Theory in Latin Literature by Victoria Pagán, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Victoria Pagán ISBN: 9780292749795
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: December 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Victoria Pagán
ISBN: 9780292749795
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: December 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Conspiracy theory as a theoretical framework has emerged only in the last twenty years; commentators are finding it a productive way to explain the actions and thoughts of individuals and societies. In this compelling exploration of Latin literature, Pagán uses conspiracy theory to illuminate the ways that elite Romans invoked conspiracy as they navigated the hierarchies, divisions, and inequalities in their society. By seeming to uncover conspiracy everywhere, Romans could find the need to crush slave revolts, punish rivals with death or exile, dismiss women, denigrate foreigners, or view their emperors with deep suspicion. Expanding on her earlier Conspiracy Narratives in Roman History, Pagán here interprets the works of poets, satirists, historians, and orators—Juvenal, Tacitus, Suetonius, Terence, and Cicero, among others—to reveal how each writer gave voice to fictional or real actors who were engaged in intrigue and motivated by a calculating worldview.Delving into multiple genres, Pagán offers a powerful critique of how conspiracy and conspiracy theory can take hold and thrive when rumor, fear, and secrecy become routine methods of interpreting (and often distorting) past and current events. In Roman society, where knowledge about others was often lacking and stereotypes dominated, conspiracy theory explained how the world worked. The persistence of conspiracy theory, from antiquity to the present day, attests to its potency as a mechanism for confronting the frailties of the human condition.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Conspiracy theory as a theoretical framework has emerged only in the last twenty years; commentators are finding it a productive way to explain the actions and thoughts of individuals and societies. In this compelling exploration of Latin literature, Pagán uses conspiracy theory to illuminate the ways that elite Romans invoked conspiracy as they navigated the hierarchies, divisions, and inequalities in their society. By seeming to uncover conspiracy everywhere, Romans could find the need to crush slave revolts, punish rivals with death or exile, dismiss women, denigrate foreigners, or view their emperors with deep suspicion. Expanding on her earlier Conspiracy Narratives in Roman History, Pagán here interprets the works of poets, satirists, historians, and orators—Juvenal, Tacitus, Suetonius, Terence, and Cicero, among others—to reveal how each writer gave voice to fictional or real actors who were engaged in intrigue and motivated by a calculating worldview.Delving into multiple genres, Pagán offers a powerful critique of how conspiracy and conspiracy theory can take hold and thrive when rumor, fear, and secrecy become routine methods of interpreting (and often distorting) past and current events. In Roman society, where knowledge about others was often lacking and stereotypes dominated, conspiracy theory explained how the world worked. The persistence of conspiracy theory, from antiquity to the present day, attests to its potency as a mechanism for confronting the frailties of the human condition.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Jake by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Stan Kenton: This Is an Orchestra! by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Filming Difference by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Reinventing Practice in a Disenchanted World by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Latino High School Graduation by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book The Ba'thification of Iraq by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Reading World Literature by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Aspects of the Renaissance by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Western Window in the Arab World by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Birds of the Northwestern National Parks by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Theater & Propaganda by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Lost in the City: Tree of Desire and Serafin by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book The Late Archaic across the Borderlands by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Night Moves by Victoria Pagán
Cover of the book Habitat Conservation Planning by Victoria Pagán
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy