Change and Decline

Change and Decline: Roman Literature in the Early Empire offers a nuanced exploration of the transformation and challenges faced by Roman literary culture during the so-called "Silver Age" of Roman literature. Delivered as part of the Sather Classical Lectures, the work critically examines the causes and manifestations of literary decline in the early Roman Empire, while grappling with questions of cultural growth, decay, and the interplay between societal and artistic values. The author engages with six thematic approaches to illuminate how Roman writers navigated the pressures of their political and cultural milieu, offering insights into their stylistic shifts, intellectual tendencies, and the broader social functions of literature in this transformative period.

The book delves into the complex relationship between Roman and Greek cultural dominance, the pervasive influence of imperial politics on artistic expression, and the emotional and sensational tendencies that began to overshadow the rationality of the Augustan age. Through analyses of figures like Tacitus and Ovid, the work demonstrates how fear, escapism, and societal expectations reshaped literary priorities and led to adaptations both innovative and detrimental. Ultimately, Change and Decline argues that the adjustments imposed by external pressures often eroded the integrity of a once-vibrant tradition, marking a period of both literary transformation and decline.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978.