David H.J. Larmour

The Arena of Satire Volume 52 : Juvenal's Search for Rome David H.J. Larmour

In this first comprehensive reading of Juvenalâs satires in more than fifty years, David H. J. Larmour deftly revises and sharpens our understanding of the second-century Roman writer who stands as the archetype for all later practitioners of the satiristâs art.

The enduring attraction of Juvenalâs satires is twofold: they not only introduce the character of the âangry satiristâ but also offer vivid descriptions of everyday life in Rome at the height of the Empire. In Larmourâs interpretation, these two elements are inextricably linked. The Arena of Satire presents the satirist as flaneur traversing the streets of Rome in search of its authentic coreâthose distinctly Roman virtues that have disappeared amid the corruption of the age.

What the vengeful, punishing satirist does to his victims, as Larmour shows, echoes what the Roman state did to outcasts and criminals in the arena of the Colosseum. The fact that the arena was the most prominent building in the city and is mentioned frequently by Juvenal makes it an ideal lens through which to examine the spectacular and punishing characteristics of Roman satire. And the fact that Juvenal undertakes his search for the uncorrupted, authentic Rome within the very buildings and landmarks that make up the actual, corrupt Rome of his day gives his sixteen satires their uniquely paradoxical and contradictory nature.

Larmourâs exploration of âthe arena of satireâ guides us through Juvenalâs search for the true Rome, winding from one poem to the next. He combines close readings of passages from individual satires with discussions of Juvenalâs representation of Roman space and topography, the nature of the âarenaâ experience, and the network of connections among the satirist, the gladiator, and the editorâor producerâof Colosseum entertainments. The Arena of Satire also offers a new definition of âJuvenalian satireâ as a particular form arising from the intersection of the body and the urban landscapeâa form whose defining features survive in the works of several later satirists, from Jonathan Swift and Evelyn Waugh to contemporary writers such as Russian novelist Victor Pelevin and Irish dramatist Martin McDonagh.