University of Puget Sound Sound Ideas All Faculty Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 10-1-2008 Review of: Caesar's Civil War by W. W. Batstone and C. Damon Aislinn A. Melchior University of Puget Sound, amelchior@pugetsound.edu Follow this and additional works at: http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/faculty_pubs Citation Melchior, Aislinn. "Book Review: Caesar's Civil War." Mnemosyne. 61.4 (2008): 674-676. Print. This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact soundideas@pugetsound.edu. 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 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . BRILL is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Mnemosyne. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 207.207.127.233 on Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:11:03 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 61 (2008) 674-676 I De novislibrisiudicia?A.Melchior Mnemosyne 674 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). The book under review is part of the seriesOxfordApproaches toClassical Litera The to aims ture, which editors' a provide forword to a guide that proclaims it in work for those reading single a reader "need more may such than can usually English. in guidance in the... intro be provided and understanding... a work in translation" Batstone have there and Damon (v). prefaces a to the to introduction brief but fore attempted relatively sophisticated provide context of Caesar's Because Batstone civil war commentary. and literary political a it text assumes the late republic, and Damon's familiarity with fairly thorough interpretation that duction may prove frustratingfor its intended audience in spite of some very interesting content. I will the main first survey cover the authors topics and then close by explaining thedifficultiesthisbook might pose for the novice student. The are chapters One Chapter material. Two Chapter of argument. the way of the commentarius describes how characterizes upon Curio, with than chronology. audience Labienus, self-presentation and as then and Metellus and of selection serves structure Caesar's Pompey, Caesar's rather and Caesar's the narrative touches Varro, is concerned Four Chapter the genre Three Chapter he themes around loosely organized discusses his a form to turns Scipio. on emphasis fides,while Chapter Five evaluates stylisticissues, including the thirdperson voice Caesar is The whole employs. donment of the Bellum an by capped Civile upon that describes epilogue that he was recognizing Caesar's aban to win 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, genre "Choices: of the commentarius, quoting has what been Genre, both said Content, Style", Caesar's by considering the lost commentaries about the authors Bellum describe Gallicum of Cicero the and by and Atticus. Their general approach is to provide a literarycontext for theBellum Civile by Caesar's juxtaposing ters about writing in the field. Next, general with other in Cilicia activities his Caesar's turn to Cicero's let they first a sort of reportage by provided to those is of Corfinium compared texts. Thus, to show account the in order to highlight those provided by Appian, Plutarch, Suetonius, and Dio are to Caesar's unique in historical narration. features which monplace Chapter Civile closure Two, as Argument texts. The authors "Structure in terms of other in Caesar's that of Aulus approach Hirtius, Bellum who ? Koninklijke BrillNV, Leiden, Gallicum penned and book 2008 and those in Civil War cover some Y\ also discusses of the motifs that his writing the way 8. The features which yearly DOI: framework are com the Bellum to provide contrasts with used that dominates 10.1163/156852508X252984 This content downloaded from 207.207.127.233 on Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:11:03 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 61 (2008) 674-676 De novislibrisiudicia?A.Melchior IMnemosyne 675 theBellum Gallicum isviolated in theBellum Civile. Caesar instead structuresthe latteraround thematic (and political) concerns. This leads into a discussion of violations temporal events makes ing of cause A account. into trast that Caesar to be how Caesar's the re-order rather remedy had his own presented in the second describe res between establishes Caesar show authors Italy appear that the authors concept recurring The than the in Rome. of the chaos Gallicum in Caesar's his march res and publica actions chapter is the con In the Bellum privata. as coterminous interests and with the interestsof the republic. This emphasis remains in the Bellum Civile. The on Pompeians, the other are hand, as portrayed in interested the administering state forpersonal gain instead of for the public good. This conceptual framework is traced intelligently the opening through of Caesar's chapters work. The thirdchapter, "Taking Sides,Making Sides", is bracketed by a listof sena the fear of torial concerns?e.g. comments These that not all reminder voice The after Pharsalus. position Cicero. a discussion proscriptions?and of Caesar's in Caesar. is tendentious views these representing confirm many authors is and portraits The of the Pompeian that mostly of a useful provide from a selection quote of Cicero's lettersthat betray his frustrationwith Pompey's leadership,which of course Caesar also criticized. The contrasts that Caesar the way of the various analysis Varro's players rightly emphasizes to Curio's to decision fight surrender ready to thedeath and anticipates thedetailed discussion o?fides thatfollows some forty later. pages In the fourth ents himself chapter, the authors Victory", "Mastering as a in "participant relationships" from those who wanted the res publica to Caesar. sis on The Bellum loyalty personal of saving (and sometimes sional retributive) punishments the battle nature throughout of Pharsalus, o? fides the course his beneficence will (118). to Paradoxically, despoil Civile as Caesar it resulted demonstrates distributes of the work. continue show how Caesar Caesar for those pres Caesar's in an the rewards reciprocal and occa implies that, after senators who prove sufficiently grateful. Style is the subject of the final chapter entitled "Writing FightingWar". the authors treat Caesar's use of the third person in his goal empha narrative?an In it, 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 then finish with description of its more tendentious uses. Among are the topics abstract nouns, indirect verbs, subordinate clauses, adjectives, ornaments alliteration. The authors' and and chiasmus, anaphora, speech, including to draw attention to features that can be in translation" (195 attempt "appreciated n. 1) is admirable of these items will but probably many quixotic. Sadly, perforce art. be obscured the translator's by touched upon This content downloaded from 207.207.127.233 on Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:11:03 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions I 61 (2008) 674-676 De novislibrisiudicia?A.Melchior Mnemosyne 676 The series inwhich thisbook is published seeks to provide an accessible guide for the reader who imagine in a classical place From the "for the first time" be encountering the work this text, full as it is of Caesar's may to difficult civilization second the is Caesar class where of narrative generally where introduction, strategies, It is (vi). finding as history. taught a is the word 'republic' " as respublica, literally'thepublic thing'" (3), the audience being addressed glossed to is hard place. paragraph voice the book's Thus sometimes Issues, level are occasionally and more sometimes trivial, will serious, mercurial. arise for the professor using this as an introductorytext.For instance, this book will be of limited use until after the Bellum Civile has been read. To takemerely the first chapter, the passages under discussion in book from Corfinium, range to the 1, all the way with thehistorical and nar death of Pompey, and therebythe reader'sfamiliarity arc of Caesar's rative "Flavian" work in the index "Plutarch", period?an is the trivial states persons", that would adjective On assumed. simply of "prominent is a writer to anyone be opaque the entry on side, that he of the with unfamiliar the imperialperiod (presumablymost students takinga Roman history surveyand only up terse to the late republic). Thus senatus explanations (e.g. as well as to provide decree") licum and the corpus the book consultum an overview of Ciceronian a requires to professor ultimum of relevant out pad certain as is the only glossed texts such as the Bellum "final Gal letters. Many of the ideas in the book will abundantly reward the attention of a good teacher. For Corfinium the comparison instance, an excellent provides issues. The historiographical of different to opportunity second chapter versions engage with opens of the capitulation a of in a discussion students section-by-section of anal ysis of the opening of theBellum Civile that offersa compelling introduction to the hidden complexity throughout the book. version of Caesar's In my of this text would view, events. Such be most are gems as useful scattered supplementary reading for a Latin class that is entirelydevoted to theBellum Civile. Such a class may best the many appreciate lucid on observations style and narrative that form thisbook. Itwill also profita graduate level class despite a briefand highly eclectic bibliography. amongst courses sum, Batstone and Damon's text will find its most are to teach for new ways faculty who searching a fresh and want survey of the latest approaches this is a welcome addition to the recent offerings enthusiastic the Bellum in Caesarian on Caesar. audience Civile Those in their studies. In familiar with the period will find pleasure in the keen insights, thoughtful readings, and perceptive analyses contained within these pages. UniversityofPugetSound, Department ofClassics 1500N. Warner St. #1061 Tacoma,WA 98416-1061, USA aamelchior@yahoo. Aislinn Melchior com This content downloaded from 207.207.127.233 on Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:11:03 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions