A Greek declamation was an 'imaginary speech': a fictitious speech composed for a rhetorical scenario set in Classical Greece. Although such speeches began as rhetorical exercises, under the high Roman empire they developed into a full-blown prestigious genre in their own right. This first monograph on Greek declamation for nearly forty years re-evaluates a genre that was central to Greek imperial literature and to ancient and modern notions of the 'Second Sophistic'. Rejecting traditional conceptions of the genre as 'nostalgic', this book considers the significance of Greek declamation's re-enactment of classical history for its own times, and integrates the genre into the wider history of the period. It shows through extended readings how the genre came to constitute a powerful and subtle instrument of identity formation and social interaction, and a site for free thinking on issues of major contemporary importance such as imperialism and inter-polis relations.

Shows how Greek declamation's staging of the Classical past was of vital importance for the Greek imperial present.

About the Author
WILLIAM GUAST is an Assistant Master at Winchester College, and was previously the A. G. Leventis Research Fellow in Ancient Greek at the University of Bristol.


Book Information
ISBN 9781009297127
Author William Guast
Format Hardback
Page Count 238
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 491g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 14mm