"Embodied Invective" and Identity Construction in Ancient Literature

This volume establishes "embodied invective" as a significant new analytical category for understanding Greco-Roman culture. Moving beyond simple insults, the contributors show how ancient writers strategically weaponised the corporeal self--physical traits, habits, and gestures--to undermine the social and moral standing of their targets. Covering material from early iambic poetry to Late Antique epistles, the collection examines how the body functioned as a rhetorical battleground where gender norms, ethnic identities, and social hierarchies were contested. By decoding these "deep structures" of abuse, the volume provides a systematic framework for viewing the human body as a primary site of ancient cultural negotiation and identity performance.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9004766499
• ISBN13: 9789004766495
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Brill