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Document Details : Title: Julius Victor's Chapter de epistolis Subtitle: A Late Antique Reading of Cicero's Correspondence Author(s): HERMANT, Ivanne Journal: Latomus Volume: 84 Issue: 3 Date: 2025 Pages: 472-493 DOI: 10.2143/LAT.84.3.3295227 Abstract : This paper focuses on the chapter de epistolis closing Julius Victor’s Ars Rhetorica (4th century AD). This text is the first piece of evidence of a formalized theory of epistolary writing in Latin. It reflects a shift in rhetorical teaching during Late Antiquity towards a broader scope that includes letters as a subject of rhetoric. The paper explores the background of this innovation, arguing for the influence of a Ciceronian tradition. Julius Victor’s text systematically organizes Cicero’s empirical views on letter-writing, adapting them to contemporary practice while maintaining an awareness of classical epistolography’s specificities. This article argues that Julius Victor’s chapter manifests a familiarity to Cicero’s epistolary corpora. |
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