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10-1-2008 Review of: Caesar's Civil War by W. W. Batstone and C. Damon Aislinn A. Melchior University of Puget Sound, [email protected]

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Citation Melchior, Aislinn. "Book Review: Caesar's Civil War." Mnemosyne. 61.4 (2008): 674-676. Print.

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Caesar's Civil War by W. W. Batstone; C. Damon Review by: Aislinn Melchior Mnemosyne, Fourth Series, Vol. 61, Fasc. 4 (2008), pp. 674-676 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27736279 . Accessed: 13/10/2014 18:11

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Batstone,W.W., Damon, C. 2006. Caesars Civil War (Oxford Approaches to Classical Literature).Oxford, Oxford University Press, xiii, 225 p. Pr. ?11.99 (pb).

to The book under review is part of the seriesOxford Approaches Classical Litera which aims to a to a work for those it in ture, provide guide single reading English. that such a reader "need more in The editors' forword proclaims may guidance than can be in the... intro interpretation and understanding... usually provided that a work in translation" Batstone and Damon have there duction prefaces (v). to a brief but introduction to the fore attempted provide relatively sophisticated and context of Caesar's civil war Because Batstone literary political commentary. text assumes a with the late it and Damon's fairly thorough familiarity republic, some may prove frustratingfor its intended audience in spite of very interesting content. main cover I will first survey the topics the authors and then close by explaining the difficultiesthis book might pose for the novice student. The are around themes rather than chapters organized loosely chronology. One commentarius Chapter discusses the genre of the and Caesar's selection of Two narrative structure serves as a material. Chapter describes how the form turns to of argument. Chapter Three touches upon Caesar's audience and then the he and Metellus way characterizes Varro, Curio, , Labienus, Scipio. Four is concerned with Caesar's and his on Chapter self-presentation emphasis fides,while Chapter Five evaluates stylisticissues, including the thirdperson voice Caesar The whole is an that describes Caesar's aban employs. capped by epilogue donment of Bellum was to win the Civile upon recognizing that he unable the personal loyaltyof thosewhom he had defeated.Although Batstone and Damon individuallywrote initial drafts of certain chapters, I will refer simply to 'the authors' throughout. In the first chapter, "Choices: Genre, Content, Style", the authors describe the of the both Caesar's Bellum Gallicum genre commentarius, by considering and by

quoting what has been said about the lost commentaries of and Atticus. Their general approach is to provide a literarycontext for the Bellum Civile by texts. turn to juxtaposing Caesar's writing with other Thus, they first Cicero's let ters his activities in Cilicia to show the sort of a about reportage provided by in the field. Caesar's account of Corfinium is to those general Next, compared provided by , Plutarch, , and Dio in order to highlight those are to are com features which unique Caesar's approach and those features which in narration. monplace historical as in Civil War also discusses the Bellum Chapter Two, "Structure Argument Y\ in terms texts. cover some motifs to Civile of other The authors of the used provide contrasts closure in Caesar's Bellum Gallicum and the way that his writing with 8. that dominates that of Aulus Hirtius, who penned book The yearly framework

? Koninklijke BrillNV, Leiden, 2008 DOI: 10.1163/156852508X252984

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theBellum Gallicum isviolated in theBellum Civile. Caesar instead structuresthe latter around thematic (and political) concerns. This leads into a discussion of in Caesar's account. The show how temporal violations authors Caesar's re-order events his into to be the ing of makes march appear remedy rather than the cause of the chaos in Rome.

A that in the is con recurring concept the authors describe second chapter the trast Caesar between res res In the that establishes publica and privata. Bellum Caesar had his own actions and interests as coterminous with Gallicum presented the interestsof the republic. This emphasis remains in the Bellum Civile. The on the other are as interested in the Pompeians, hand, portrayed administering state forpersonal gain instead of for the public good. This conceptual framework is traced the of Caesar's work. intelligently through opening chapters The thirdchapter, "Taking Sides,Making Sides", is bracketed by a listof sena torial the fear of a discussion of the concerns?e.g. proscriptions?and Pompeian The voice views is position after Pharsalus. representing these mostly that of Cicero. comments confirm of a These many Caesar's portraits and provide useful not a reminder that all is tendentious in Caesar. The authors quote from selection of Cicero's lettersthat betray his frustrationwith Pompey's leadership,which of course Caesar also criticized. The of the various analysis players rightly emphasizes the that Caesar contrasts Varro's surrender to Curio's decision to way ready fight to the death and anticipates the detailed discussion o?fides that follows some forty pages later. In the fourth the chapter, "Mastering Victory", authors show how Caesar pres ents himself as a in Caesar's "participant relationships" (118). Paradoxically, goal of the res from those who to it in an saving publica wanted despoil resulted empha sis on to Caesar. The Bellum Civile demonstrates the personal loyalty reciprocal sometimes nature o? as Caesar occa (and retributive) fides distributes rewards and sional the course of the work. Caesar punishments throughout implies that, after the battle of Pharsalus, his beneficence will continue for those senators who prove sufficientlygrateful. Style is the subject of the final chapter entitled "Writing FightingWar". In it, use the authors treat Caesar's of the third person in his narrative?an aspect alluded to in passing elsewhere in the book. The observations on style typically a beginwith listingof theplain and efficientuses of a particular stylisticdevice and a its more uses. then finish with description of tendentious Among the topics are touched upon adjectives, abstract nouns, verbs, subordinate clauses, indirect and ornaments alliteration. The authors' speech, including anaphora, chiasmus, and to attention to can in attempt draw features that be "appreciated translation" (195 n. is of items will 1) admirable but probably quixotic. Sadly, many these perforce be the translator's art. obscured by

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The series inwhich thisbook is published seeks to provide an accessible guide It is for the reader who may be encountering the work "for the first time" (vi). difficult to this full as it is of Caesar's narrative a imagine text, strategies, finding in a classical civilization class where Caesar is as place generally taught history. From the second of the introduction, where the word is " paragraph 'republic' as glossed respublica, literally'the public thing'" (3), the audience being addressed is to voice are hard place. Thus the book's and level occasionally mercurial. sometimes sometimes more arise Issues, trivial, serious, will for the professor using this as an introductory text. For instance, this book will be of limited use until after the Bellum Civile has been read. To take merely the first chapter, the passages under discussion range from Corfinium, in book 1, all the way to the death of Pompey, and thereby the reader's familiaritywith the historical and nar rative arc of Caesar's work is On on simply assumed. the trivial side, the entry in the index of states he is a writer of "Plutarch", "prominent persons", that the "Flavian" to period?an adjective that would be opaque anyone unfamiliar with a the imperialperiod (presumablymost students taking Roman history surveyand to the late Thus the book a to out certain only up republic). requires professor pad terse senatus consultum ultimum is as the "final explanations (e.g. glossed only as as to an overview texts as decree") well provide of relevant such the Bellum Gal licum and the corpus of Ciceronian letters. Many of the ideas in the book will abundantly reward the attention of a good teacher. For the of different versions instance, comparison of the capitulation of an to a Corfinium provides excellent opportunity engage students in discussion of issues. The second a historiographical chapter opens with section-by-section anal a ysis of the opening of theBellum Civile that offers compelling introduction to the version events. are hidden complexity of Caesar's of Such gems scattered the book. In this text would be most as throughout my view, useful supplementary reading for a Latin class that is entirelydevoted to theBellum Civile. Such a class best the on narrative may appreciate many lucid observations style and that form a a thisbook. Itwill also profit graduate level class despite brief and highly eclectic Batstone text its most bibliography. and Damon's will find enthusiastic audience who are for new to teach the in amongst faculty searching ways Bellum Civile their courses and want a fresh of in In survey the latest approaches Caesarian studies. this is a welcome addition to the recent on Caesar. sum, offerings Those familiar with the period will find pleasure in the keen insights, thoughtful readings, and perceptive analyses contained within these pages.

UniversityofPuget Sound, Department ofClassics Aislinn Melchior 1500 N. Warner St. #1061 Tacoma,WA 98416-1061, USA com aamelchior@yahoo.

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