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Colleen McCullough and the evidence: some case studies in the Late Roman Republic

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posted on 2022-03-28, 19:17 authored by Blake Cook
The historical fictions series Masters of Rome (1990 - 2007) by Dr Colleen McCullough-Robinson is based upon almost two decades of research into the ancient world, depicting the political and military struggles of the first century B.C.E which ultimately transformed the Roman Republic into the military autocracy of the Principate. This thesis is concerned with how the author has recreated some key historical events surrounding the year 60 B.C.E, that year in which Asinius Pollio saw the beginning of the end for the Republic and which Sir Ronald Syme saw as the beginning of the 'Roman Revolution', from the extant ancient evidence and in the context of modern academic scholarship. This study is thus something of a combination between what ancient historians would recognise as traditional source criticism, in examining how McCullough interpreted the ancient sources, and of a reception study, in that the thesis examines a modern literary representation of antiquity. Although this thesis will examine how the ancient evidence and modern scholarship has influenced the representation of the late Roman Republic in the novel Caesar's Women (1996), it is not my intent to merely criticise McCullough's interpretations. Issues of narrative elements such as plot development and characterization will also be addressed for understanding why sources have been interpreted in a particular way. As a conclusion to the thesis, the historiographical significance of McCullough's presentation of history, evoking a Rankean idea of 'the past as it really was', will be examined.

History

Table of Contents

Introduction -- Literature review -- Chapter One. The divorce of Pompey and Mucia -- Chapter Two: The 'bona dea affair' -- Chapter Three The 'first triumvirate' -- Chapter Four. The 'Vettius affair' -- Chapter Five. Caesar -- Conclusion.

Notes

Bibliography: pages 65-69 Theoretical thesis.

Awarding Institution

Macquarie University

Degree Type

Thesis MRes

Degree

MRes, Macquarie University, Faculty of Arts, Department of Ancient History

Department, Centre or School

Department of Ancient History

Year of Award

2016

Principal Supervisor

Jillian Lea Beness

Rights

Copyright Blake Cook 2015. Copyright disclaimer: http://www.copyright.mq.edu.au

Language

English

Extent

1 online resource (xii, 69 pages)

Former Identifiers

mq:48666 http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1100732