Overview

Shedding new light on the history of the book in antiquity, Empire of Letters tells the story of writing at Rome at the pivotal moment of transition from Republic to Empire (c. 55 BCE-15 CE). By uniting close readings of the period's major authors with detailed analysis of material texts, it argues that the physical embodiments of writing were essential to the worldviews and self-fashioning of authors whose works took shape in them. Whether in wooden tablets, papyrus bookrolls, monumental writing in stone and bronze, or through the alphabet itself, Roman authors both idealized and competed with writing's textual forms.The academic study of the history of the book has arisen largely out of the textual abundance of the age of print, focusing on the Renaissance and after. But fewer than fifty fragments of classical Roman bookrolls survive, and even fewer lines of poetry. Understanding the history of the ancient Roman book requires us to think differently about this evidence, placing it into the context of other kinds of textual forms that survive in greater numbers, from the fragments of Greek papyri preserved in the garbage heaps of Egypt to the Latin graffiti still visible on the walls of the cities destroyed by Vesuvius. By attending carefully to this kind of material in conjunction with the rich literary testimony of the period, Empire of Letters exposes the importance of textuality itself to Roman authors, and puts the written word back at the center of Roman literature.

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9780197651520

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Particularly noteworthy is Frampton's focus on the specific technology and materiality of writing, which forms an indispensable context not only for understanding the writers of the late Republic and the Augustan period (the focus of this study) but also for later writers. Written in an accessible style, with abundant references to earlier scholarship, this book constitutes an ideal first step for students interested in the history of writing in Rome, and will be especially welcome to students and scholars of Roman literature. ... Summing up: Highly recommended * M. L. Goldman, CHOICE * This is an engagingly written and thought-provoking volume that usefully brings together a wide range of interesting literary and physical material on specific topics. * The Classical Review * Frampton set herself the difficult task of producing an exhaustive overview of all aspects of the material aspects of writing in the Graeco-Roman world, but with emphasis on Latin language, by scouring available literary and epigraphic sources for information. The successful result is this eminently readable volume, which answers questions about ancient literacy that had never occurred to this reviewer, for one, to ask.... A beguiling book, a pleasure to read. * Classical Journal-Online * This is a very good book to shake up the classicists still relying on approaches of yore. * The Library * there is a great deal of interest and plenty of incentive to appreciate the inadequacy of one's experience as one settles down to study Horace * Keith Maclennan, Classics for All * Frampton explores the fascinating minutiae of the physical act of writing in Roman antiquityâ. For those of us who love the Roman literary tradition,ÂEmpire of LettersÂimmerses us in the grit and gravel of Lucretius' and Virgil's tools of the trade, giving classically-minded readers the delightful opportunity to feel the papyrus and smell the wax. * FORMA Review *

Particularly noteworthy is Frampton's focus on the specific technology and materiality of writing, which forms an indispensable context not only for understanding the writers of the late Republic and the Augustan period (the focus of this study) but also for later writers. Written in an accessible style, with abundant references to earlier scholarship, this book constitutes an ideal first step for students interested in the history of writing in Rome, and will be especially welcome to students and scholars of Roman literature. ... Summing up: Highly recommended * M. L. Goldman, CHOICE * This is an engagingly written and thought-provoking volume that usefully brings together a wide range of interesting literary and physical material on specific topics. * The Classical Review * Frampton set herself the difficult task of producing an exhaustive overview of all aspects of the material aspects of writing in the Graeco-Roman world, but with emphasis on Latin language, by scouring available literary and epigraphic sources for information. The successful result is this eminently readable volume, which answers questions about ancient literacy that had never occurred to this reviewer, for one, to ask.... A beguiling book, a pleasure to read. * Classical Journal-Online * This is a very good book to shake up the classicists still relying on approaches of yore. * The Library * there is a great deal of interest and plenty of incentive to appreciate the inadequacy of one's experience as one settles down to study Horace * Keith Maclennan, Classics for All * Frampton explores the fascinating minutiae of the physical act of writing in Roman antiquitya. For those of us who love the Roman literary tradition,AEmpire of LettersAimmerses us in the grit and gravel of Lucretius' and Virgil's tools of the trade, giving classically-minded readers the delightful opportunity to feel the papyrus and smell the wax. * FORMA Review *

Author Information

Stephanie Ann Frampton is a classicist, comparatist, and historian of the book in antiquity. She is Associate Professor of Classical Literature at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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