In Eloquendo Corrupta Pleraque? Humanist Evaluations of Seneca's Prose Style
By Natha Kish
How much does the way in which we speak and write matter? What can it indicate about us? For Seneca the Younger, the answer was, “A lot.” In Ep. 114, using Maecenas as a notorious case study, Seneca argued that oratio is not only indicative of an individual’s lifestyle but, if widespread enough, the character of an age (1-2).
Servilis vs. Puerilis: Seneca’s De Tranquillitate Animi
By Erin Jo Petrella
In De Tranquillitate Animi §9, Seneca uses the phrase servilium litterarum to critique individuals who amass large libraries to give the impression of learning. In his 1672 edition, Lipsius, citing viri aliquot docti, argues that this phrase refers to the base level of literacy required for everyday tasks, and not to paideia. However, in 1873, J.N.
"Ridentem Dicere Verum Quid Vetat?" – Unmasking Seneca in François de La Rochefoucauld’s Maximes
By Stephanie Fan
1) The frontispiece of the Maximes
Cannibals, Cats, and Coteries: Wright's 1674 Mock-Thyestes
By Maria Haley
Following Jasper Heywood’s landmark translation of Seneca’s Thyestes in 1560, a trend of Thyestes translations emerged throughout the period. As Spearing makes clear, prefaces and dedications often accompanied these texts, as with Thomas Marsh’s 1581 edition. Heywood himself includes a playful prologue to his Thyestes in which he suggests that Seneca appeared to him in a dream.