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Messalina
The Life and Times of Rome’s Most Scandalous Empress
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Format: Hardback
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A standalone biography of the Empress Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world.
A standalone biography of the Empress Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
The story of Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world.
The lubricious image of the Empress Messalina as a ruthless, predatory, and sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of male historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, has taken deep root in the Western imagination. Here, the classicist Honor Cargill-Martin puts this traditional narrative of Messalina on trial.
She looks first at Messalina's life as it is recounted in the sources, before using material and circumstantial evidence to reconstruct each aspect of Messalina's character: politician, wife, adulteress, and prostitute. Finally, she explores how posterity has memorialised Messalina, whether as artist's muse, epitome of depraved pagan womanhood, or as a libertine icon portrayed in literature and film.
Cargill-Martin sets out not to rewrite entirely Messalina's history, or to salvage her reputation, but to look at her life in the context of her time and to reclaim the humanity of a life story previously defined by currents of high politics and patriarchy.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Messalina is celebrated as a captivating and scholarly début that blends thrilling storytelling with a nuanced examination of both its central figure and the turbulent world of imperial Rome. The book receives praise for its engaging and erudite style, offering a credible and thorough account of Messalina's life and the political intricacies of the Roman imperial court. It effectively addresses broader themes of misogyny and patriarchy, making it both a historical lesson and a commentary on women's narratives throughout time.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781801102599
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 11 May 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Apollo
Illustration: 2 x 8pp col
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 432
About the Author
Honor Cargill-Martin is a twenty-two-year-old novelist and historian from London. She won an undergraduate scholarship at Oxford and graduated with a first class degree in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History in 2019. Remaining at Oxford as a postgrad, she was awarded a distinction in her masters in Greek and Roman history in 2020. It was here that she met Messalina, who became the subject of her final thesis. Honor is the co-author of a trilogy of YA novels and is currently working on a number of fiction projects for younger readers, while also studying for a second masters in Italian Renaissance Art History at the Courtauld Institute. Messalina is her first foray into non-fiction.
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