Pliny - I Hate Racing! Flashcards
Who is this letter addressed to and what is it about?
His friend Calvisius
Pliny shows his disdain for chariot/horse racing (popular entertainment) - thinks he is too good to go and enjoy the sport, sense of arrogance, superiority
What number is this letter?
Letter 9.6
Quote - How does Pliny describe the way he spends his time?
“In the most pleasing tranquility” - racing is the opposite of what he enjoys doing with his time
Racing could be representative of the city for him -> loud and dangerous, antithesis of his goal to live in peace
Quote - Why doesn’t Pliny like racing?
Thinks it is monotonous, dull, repetitive - “no new twist, no variety”
Quote - What does Pliny think of the spectators?
He is surprised that “thousands of grown men so childishly long to watch galloping horses” - thinks spectators are stupid for wanting to watch it
Sees racing as infantilising - has a negative social effect as it makes people loud and childish
Quote - What does Pliny think of the racers themselves?
He says if the spectators watched racing for the “speed of the horses or the skill of the charioteers” then he would be fine with it
Suggests he doesn’t hate the charioteers themselves, just the people who watch it and how they act - he does acknowledge the skill of the people competing
Quote x 2 - What is his main criticism of the spectators?
That they only care about “a bit of coloured cloth” (the team colour) - claims if midway through the race the racing strip changed hands, the people would change their support with it - crowd is fickle and shallow in their support
“Such is the influence of a dirt cheap tunic” - mainly a criticism of spectators, but can also be seen as disrespectful to the charioteers, sense of snobbery
Quote - What is his final remark on racing?
He “is glad to devote my leisure (which others throw away on the most idle use of time) over these days to literature” - highly critical, idea that he is better than them for reading instead of watching sports
Quote - tricolon about his views on the races
“So silly, so low-brow, so uninteresting” - really emphasises his hatred and the way he looks down on it
