This paper examines a statement of Aulus Gellius about a misleading attribution in Cicero’sDe gloriato explore the conditions and possibilities of misquotation in an ancient text. To do this, it draws on the conversational maxims of Paul Grice and analyzes the modern solutions presented for the passage as well as the opinions Gellius implicitly expresses. Its thesis is that the interpretation of misquotations, both ancient and modern, follows similar principles and is determined by assumptions of intention made by the interpreter. It will be argued that Gellius’ way of presenting the misquotation is a rhetorical strategy to provoke critical consideration of quotations by the recipient.
is an interesting assessment of F. Fontaine's Douze autres Césars (1985), but perhaps belongs more aptly in the earlier section 'Dans l'Antiquité' alongside the discussion of F. Paschoud, 'Les Enfants de Suétone', since it in fact deals mostly with Suetonius' immediate continuators, Marius Maximus and the Historia Augusta. When one considers the varied nature of these papers and the numerous passages discussed, the volume's lack of any indexes is a pity. Moreover, several of the papers either rely too heavily on French scholarship or are devoid of notes altogether. Nevertheless, we can be grateful for a book-length contribution on an author who is an important source of evidence for ancient history and literature, yet who remains poorly understood by many. This book will no doubt be consulted in libraries by scholars of Tacitus and Dio, and by historians of the early Empire, for its individual chapters, but anyone who works on Suetonius will want to add the full book to the shelf. With two new volumes of papers on the biographer available or in preparation, Suetonius' stock has never been higher.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.