Chapter 11 - The Manhandling of Maecenas

Summary

Seneca’s discussions of prose style frequently apply language of masculinity or effeminacy not only to authors but also to their works. For him, the laxness that he finds in Maecenas’s writing is a direct reflection of character flaws that he as a cisgender Roman male attributes to defective masculinity. The figure of Maecenas thus emblematizes the proverb that style mirrors conduct (talis oratio qualis vita). But there is also a philosophical underpinning to Seneca’s position. Stoic ethics attaches great importance to integrity and coherence in one’s thought, and thought, as internal speech, is closely allied to what he calls the ingenium; that is, the linguistic ability of an individual that is manifested in speech and writing. Prose style is thus understood as a reflex of character: The “manly” style is a highly structured, hypotactic style that traces connections between all elements of the thought.