Representations: Images of the World in Ciceronian Oratory

Representations: Images of the World in Ciceronian Oratory, Ann Vasaly. Published by University of California Press Ltd., Berkley, Los Angeles, Oxford, 1993. First Edition. Blue cloth boards, blue spine titles. 8vo up to 9½" tall. 301 pages including bibliography, general index, index of ancient authors, illustrations. In mint, unread condition; unclipped dustjacket has light scuffing otherwise fine.
Ann Vasaly introduces representation theory into the study of Ciceronian persuasion and contends that an understanding of milieu—social, political, topographical—is crucial to understanding Ciceronian oratory. As a genre uniquely dependent on an immediate interaction between author and audience, ancient oratory becomes performance art.
Vasaly investigates the way Cicero represented the contemporary physical world—places, topography, and monuments, both those seen and those merely mentioned—to his listeners and demonstrates how he used these representations to persuade. Her exceptionally well-written study deftly recaptures the immediacy of Cicero's oratory and makes a trenchant contribution to an important new area of inquiry in Classical Studies.