KAPUST, D.J.,
Republicanism, Rhetoric, and Roman Political Thought.
Cambridge University Press, New York, 2014. 1st paperback ed. VIII,196p. Paperback. 'The study of Roman political theory is undergoing a renaissance, and Daniel Kapust has added his own contribution to the discussion with this concise, accessible, and interesting volume. In this work, a revision and expansion of his dissertation, Kapust ‘explores rhetoric, liberty, and their relationship to social and political conflict in Roman thought of the first century BCE and the first century CE. He argues that the free exercise of rhetoric is inextricably bound together with the ideas of Republicanism and liberty. Rhetoric is necessary for political activity to occur, and represents the means by which a res publica is publicly defined and conceived. Kapust presents Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus as promoting, respectively, an antagonistic conception of rhetoric and community, a consensualist conception, and rhetoric as a means of navigating political unfreedom. It should be stated at the outset that Kapust is a political scientist, not a classical philologist. Thus his interest in Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus derives primarily from their importance to later political theorists. He does not read the works under discussion as rhetorical works, nor does he view their authors as philosophers. He is not concerned with discovering a unique political philosophy for each of the authors under discussion, but rather the ways that rhetoric, liberty, and conflict were conceived and expressed by them. Nor does he attempt to define the political nature of the Republic, though he does expressly state his opposition to Millar’s concept of a democratic Roman state. What Kapust does do - successfully, in my opinion - is to integrate modern political theory with a close reading of the ancient texts. (...) Kapust’s introduction is an impressive study in presenting modern political theory to a non-specialist audience. (...) This book is a welcome addition to the scholarship on republican political theory.' (JONATHAN P. ZARECKI in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2012.07.29).
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