Title Making men : sophists and self-presentation in ancient Rome / Maud W. Gleason

Published Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [1995]

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Description 1 online resource : illustrations Contents Ch. 1. Favorinus and His Statue -- Ch. 2. Portrait of Polemo: The Deportment of the Public Self -- Ch. 3. Deportment as Language Physiognomy and the Semiotics of Gender -- Ch. 4. Aerating the Flesh: Voice Training and the Calisthenics of Gender -- Ch. 5. Voice and Virility in Rhetorical Writers -- Ch. 6. Manhood Achieved through Speech: A Eunuch-Philosopher's Self-Fashioning Summary The careers of two popular second-century rhetorical virtuosos offer Maud Gleason fascinating insights into the ways ancient Romans constructed masculinity during a time marked by anxiety over manly deportment. Declamation was an exhilarating art form for the Greeks and bilingual Romans of the Second Sophistic movement, and its best practitioners would travel the empire performing in front of enraptured audiences. The mastery of rhetoric marked the transition to manhood for all aristocratic citizens and remained crucial to a man's social standing. In treating rhetoric as a process of self-presentation in a face-to-face society, Gleason analyzes the deportment and writings of the two Sophists - Favorinus, a eunuch, and Polemo, a man who met conventional gender expectations - to suggest the ways character and gender were perceived Physiognomical texts of the era show how intently men scrutinized one another for minute signs of gender deviance in such features as gait, gesture, facial expression, and voice. Rhetoricians trained to develop these traits in a "masculine" fashion. Examining the successful career of Favorinus, whose high-pitched voice and florid presentation contrasted sharply with the traditionalist style of Polemo, Gleason shows, however, that ideal masculine behavior was not a monolithic abstraction. In a highly accessible study treating the semiotics of deportment and the medical, cultural, and moral issues surrounding rhetorical activity, she explores the possibilities of self presentation in the search for recognition as a speaker and a man Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-174) and indexes Notes Print version record Subject Favorinus, of Arles, approximately 81-approximately 150 -- Criticism and interpretation Polemo, Antonius, approximately 88-145 -- Criticism and interpretation SUBJECT Favorinus, of Arles, approximately 81-approximately 150 fast Polemo, Antonius, approximately 88-145 fast Subject Greek literature -- Rome -- History and criticism Masculinity in literature. Masculinity -- Rome Sophists (Greek philosophy) Rhetoric, Ancient. Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek -- History and criticism Greek literature -- Appreciation -- Rome Civilization, Greco-Roman. LITERARY CRITICISM -- Ancient & Classical. Civilization, Greco-Roman Civilization -- Greek influences Greek literature Greek literature -- Appreciation Masculinity Masculinity in literature Rhetoric, Ancient Sophists (Greek philosophy) Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek Sofistiek. Retorica. Grieks. Mannelijkheid. Romeinen (volk) Littérature grecque hellénistique. Sophistes grecs. Civilisation classique. SUBJECT Rome -- Civilization -- Greek influences. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85115097 Subject Rome (Empire) Rome -- Civilisation -- Influence grecque. Genre/Form Criticism, interpretation, etc. Form Electronic book ISBN 9780691187570 0691187576

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