Suetonius' life Flashcards
when was he born
probably in 70AD
WHat did he practice as
an advocate then embarked on a public career under the patronage of Pliny the Younger
Who did he serve under and as what
imperial secretary under Trajan (probably)
imperial secretary in charge of correspondence under the emperor Hadrian
When did he die
perhaps sometime after the year AD 130
What family rank
equestrian
What does his work classify as
biography
Literature and writing in those times
leading men combined literary interests and scholarly pursuits with public careers
elite Romans placed a high value on literature and learning
it was important for the emperor to be seen to patronise these pursuits
during when did he write his The Twelve Caesars
his magnum opus was written whilst he was Hadrian’s secretry
By the time he wrote TTC he was already
a serious scholar who had made his reputation with several major works
What did he use for his TTC
public records
personal documents of the emperors such as Augustus’ letters
he saw the originals since he comments on his spelling and handwritting
Augustus’ and Tiberius’ autobiography and will
Claudius’ memoirs
anonymous lampoons and popular songs he quotes verbatim
What type of a work is it then
substantial piece of work by a serious and established scholar
included gossip and scandal
what was history then
dramatic prose narrative
focus on military and political events
an elevated style
The Twelve Caesar’s style
topical not chronological
rarely has a dramatic narrative
alludes to major military and political events but omits a great deal.
abounds in technical vocabulary and every day expressions Tacitus avoided
keen to pack in data his work becomes overly compressed
unlike Plutarch the great biographer whose work reads very similarly to history, Suetonius seems to have made his as different from history as possible. (topical arrangement) as he pulls apart individual episodes and file them under separate headings and completely obscures the historical connection between these events)
What does Suetonius exclude
everything that not directly pertain to the person on whom he is focusing
includes everything that does
The topical arrangement
developed by grammatici to provide concise biographical information
has been called “the unremitting tidiness of the scholar’s mind
he wrenches them from their context and consequently strips them of historical significance
What did Pliny insist
The trivial aspects of the emperor’s life have significance for his public role. THe way he lives his life serves as a modal for others. The way he spends his leisure time is the best guide to his true character
The elogium
Roman way of commemorating the achievements of eminent men. a summary of accomplishments
a sort of balance sheet a clear assessment of each emperor’s relative success or failure
Suetonius generalising
his comment on virgins being raped before execution (single known incident of Sejanus’ daughter)
His judgement
relies heavily on received opinion and less concerned with forming an independent judgement
accuracy
specific data is accurate by checking them against other sources, mistakes are few
His bias
very partial, presents Tiberius’ alleged miserliness in the worst possible light even though he did avoid an increase in taxes
he wasn’t always very good at providing a balance sheet for weighing the good and bad qualities of each emperor
The received view of an emperor
was shaped by the agenda of that emperor’s successors
emperors exaggerated the failings of unpopular predecessors in order to make themselves look better.
Tiberius’ miserliness and cruelty exaggerated by Gaius
Claudius’ stupidity and subservience by Nero
Why is TTC incredibly useful
verbatim quotations from documentary sources such as letters, popular songs and anonymous lampoons
were ignored by the serious historians
public games, spectacles, pastimes, domestic relations, sexual tastes, manner of dress
personal detail and outrageous scandal
