Ciceronian Invectives: Emotions, Configurations, and Reactions

Political communication in the late Roman Republic was highly coloured by invective, with its linguistic arsenal of disparaging remarks, shaming, and related phenomena. This volume takes a fresh look at invective practices reflected in and relating to the verbal tirades delivered by Cicero. Political communication in the late Roman Republic was highly coloured by rhetorical repertoires featuring disparagement, shaming, and other related phenomena. One of the most prolific perpetrators of such verbal conduct - known as invective - was the orator and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC). This volume, which gathers the contributions delivered during the conference "Ciceronian Invective. Emotions, Reactions, Performance", held at Dresden's Technische Universität in 2020, takes a fresh look at the practices reflected in and relating to Cicero's tirades. By comprehending invective not only as a mere literary genre, but also as a practice embedded in social and political contexts, the aim is to arrive at a deeper understanding of Ciceronian invective. The emotions that such use of language aroused, its historical and rhetorical configurations, and the reactions of those offended by it or on its receiving end as an audience are all considered.