Empire of the Self
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€67.99
A01=Christopher Star
Author_Christopher Star
Category=DSBB
Category=NHC
concept of the self
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eq_biography-true-stories
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
Nero
parody
Petronius
Philosophy and Literature
Roman drama
Roman novel
self-address
Seneca
the Satyricon
Product details
- ISBN 9781421406749
- Weight: 567g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 26 Jan 2013
- Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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In "The Empire of the Self", Christopher Star studies the question of how political reality affects the concepts of body, soul, and self. Star argues that during the early Roman Empire the establishment of autocracy and the development of a universal ideal of individual autonomy were mutually enhancing phenomena. The Stoic ideal of individual empire or complete self-command is a major theme of Seneca's philosophical works. The problematic consequences of this ideal are explored in Seneca's dramatic and satirical works, as well as in the novel of his contemporary, Petronius. Star examines the rhetorical links between these diverse texts. He also demonstrates a significant point of contact between two writers generally thought to be antagonists - the idea that imperial speech structures reveal the self.
Christopher Star is an assistant professor of classics at Middlebury College.
