Suetonius’ Rubric Sandwich
By Donna W. Hurley
Abstract: This chapter looks at Suetonius’ method of arranging the material of the Caesars into thematic and chronological sections. Suetonius is generally said to begin his biographies with a chronological narrative, which is interrupted by categories or ‘rubrics’ at the point when the ruler assumes power, before being resumed again, at the end of the Life, for the death scene. The tension between these two arrangements is discussed, and some of Suetonius’ efforts are seen as more successful than others. What is revealed by this investigation is the hard work that Suetonius puts into each Life, in balancing prerogatives of logic with ones of effect. Suetonius is seen as tailoring the rubrics of each biography to suit both the currents of history and the underlining moral message of each emperor’s fate.
Chapter in Power, T., and Gibson, R. (2014) Suetonius the Biographer: Studies in Roman Lives.
Published by Oxford University Press.