Wednesday, October 30, 2013

What are the contributions of Julius Caesar to the development of literature?

Julius Caesar wrote about his wars in Gaul and North Africa. He wrote his accounts in clear prose that is considered a model of unadulterated prosaic style in Latin literature. Caesar was a very careful stylist with an intense interest in the development of literature. He discussed literary issues during meetings with his political opponent, Marcus Tullius Cicero, a famous Roman orator, writer, and philosopher. Cicero hated him as an enemy of Roman freedom, but he still admired Caesar’s robust prose and intellect.
Caesar’s studied simplicity and apparent commitment to telling his readers the truth did not prevent him from dramatizing military events and emphasizing his own leadership and central role in them. In so doing, he sometimes ignores the contributions of others, although at other time he is generous with his praise. He also often uses stereotypes in his depiction of the struggle between Romans and Gauls, as well as in describing the conflict between Romans and Germans as a battle between discipline, virtue, and civilized order against wild impetuosity and barbarism. As a skillful writer, however, he occasionally defies his own stereotypes to recognize the courage and military valor of his opponents; this ultimately serves to emphasize the magnitude of his own victories.

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