{"product_id":"2026100010192-secondhand-wit-and-the-writing-of-history-the-rhetoric-of-historiography-in-imperial-rome","title":"Wit And The Writing Of History: The Rhetoric Of Historiography In Imperial Rome","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Very good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the intersection of laughter and legacy, Wit and the Writing of History: The Rhetoric of Historiography in Imperial Rome presents a compelling and original argument: that wit was not merely an ornament in Roman historical writing, but a fundamental rhetorical instrument through which Imperial historians shaped, subverted, and encoded meaning. Paul Plass chronicles the sophisticated deployment of irony, satire, and pointed humour in the works of Rome's great historians — Tacitus, Suetonius, and their contemporaries — revealing how these writers navigated the treacherous political landscape of the Empire through calculated literary strategies.\n\nPlass argues with scholarly precision that the relationship between power and prose in Imperial Rome was far more complex and subversive than conventional readings allow, illustrating how wit functioned as both a survival mechanism and a vehicle for truth-telling under autocratic rule. His meticulous close readings uncover layers of rhetorical ingenuity beneath the surface of canonical texts, positioning this study as an indispensable contribution to classical scholarship. Written with the authority of a seasoned classicist and the acuity of a literary theorist, this work challenges readers to reconsider what it truly meant to write history in an age when words could cost a man his life — and silence could be just as damning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50948328816859,"sku":"2026100010192-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/cd538039-d0f4-4cd8-876e-f69ec22e763c.png?v=1793104849","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100010192-secondhand-wit-and-the-writing-of-history-the-rhetoric-of-historiography-in-imperial-rome","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}