The Empire of the Self: Self-Command and Political Speech in Seneca and Petronius

Introduction

The narratives of two travelers describing their journeys around the Bay of Naples—Lucius Annaeus Seneca and the fictional rogue Encolpius—have come down to us from the early Roman Empire. The account of Seneca, Stoic philosopher, tragedian, tutor, and adviser to the emperor Nero, can be found in letters 49–57 of his Moral Epistles, ostensibly missives sent to his younger friend Lucilius while en route.1 That of Encolpius, whose adventures in southern Italy are preserved in the fragmentary Satyricon, which was likely written by another of Nero’s advisers, Petronius.2 The precise dates of composition are unclear, but most scholars agree that both were written during the reign of Nero, likely between 62 CE and 66 CE. Although these two travelers did not journey together, the form and content of their accounts are strikingly similar. Both authors pepper their highly polished prose with poetic quotations and compositions. Both narratives contain specific references to the environs, mentioning Baiae, Cumae, Misenum, Pompeii, and the tunnel that leads back to Naples, the Crypta Neapolitana. Both provide vivid descriptions of the local bathhouses and villas and the leisure activities of the inhabitants. The two travelers frequently see their own journeys in light of the epic tradition. They Introduction often mention the wanderings of Odysseus and Aeneas, who, according to tradition , themselves spent time in the area. Both have a difficult and eventful journey out of the region. In addition to their descriptions of the external world they encounter on their travels, both writers also provide vivid accounts of their own internal worlds. They attempt to understand and plumb the depths of those whom they meet as well. To many readers a study of Seneca and Petronius would appear to unite two people who spent the final years of their lives sniping at each other and attempting to put as much distance between themselves as possible. According to the standard line of thought, the two were sworn enemies whose lives, deaths, philosophies, and literary output were incommensurable. Any engagement between the two exists on the level of negative criticism and parody.3 Yet if we can de-familiarize Seneca and Petronius and move away from preconceived notions about Seneca’s rigid Stoicism or the Satyricon’s chaotic “amorality,” the deeper connections between the two become more apparent.4 To build further on the points of contact outlined above, both Seneca and Encolpius adopt an autobiographical, first-person perspective. These two authors position themselves similarly in relation to the leisure and peace provided by the Roman Empire. Both have the time to travel, study, and then construct a narrative of past adventures. Both present the lives of those who are living away from the center of the social community. Seneca is the philosopher who shuns the ideals of the masses. Encolpius is a rogue scholar who claims that he is living “outside of the law” (125.4). In addition, the works of Seneca and Petronius encompass many genres and are encyclopedic in character . Both authors are driven by a similar impetus to narrate, encapsulate, describe , and in short to conquer and domesticate as many varieties of human experience as possible. This “domestication,” I argue, is based upon two key points of contact between Seneca and Petronius.5 Both engage with the problems of self-construction and presentation. How can the self be conquered? How can the body, soul, and passions be brought into line with one’s desires? How can the self obey the command? What are the means by which this construction can be displayed? How can one be sure that one’s virtues are externalized and properly interpreted by others? The role of language in these processes is demonstrated in the works of both authors, from the histrionic monologues of Nero, Cato, and Medea written by Seneca to the mock tragic-heroic stances of Petronius’ characters. The creation of the self, whether by the emperor, the Stoic proficiens, or Encolpius, and the creation of a literary 2 The Empire of the Self Introduction 3 work, whether it is a moral or political treatise, a tragedy, or prose fiction, are inextricably implicated. All are dependent upon a bricolage of literary forms and the appropriation of memorable texts, figures of speech, and production of great-souled utterances. Although Seneca and Petronius have long been considered enemies, I argue for a more complicated literary, cultural, political, and intellectual engagement between them...