The Empire of the Self: Self-Command and Political Speech in Seneca and Petronius
In "The Empire of the Self", Christopher Star studies the question of how political reality affects the concepts of body, soul, and self. Star argues that during the early Roman Empire the establishment of autocracy and the development of a universal ideal of individual autonomy were mutually enhancing phenomena. The Stoic ideal of individual empire or complete self-command is a major theme of Seneca's philosophical works. The problematic consequences of this ideal are explored in Seneca's dramatic and satirical works, as well as in the novel of his contemporary, Petronius. Star examines the rhetorical links between these diverse texts. He also demonstrates a significant point of contact between two writers generally thought to be antagonists - the idea that imperial speech structures reveal the self.
Seneca and the Modernity of Hamlet
This essay reassesses Shakespeare’s engagement with Senecan tragedy, arguing both that Hamlet’s use of the Senecan dramatic tradition is more robust and sophisticated than has hitherto been accepted and also that it is best understood as part of a larger cultural conversation about agency and action in revenge tragedy. The essay therefore offers a revisionary account of the reception of Senecan tragedy in early modern England. In doing so, it also suggests that recovering Shakespeare’s engagement with Seneca may require rethinking Hamlet’s own reception history, since Shakespeare’s play is so often discussed as a key text of emergent modernity.
On the Role of Professional Sports in the National Economy Under the Market Economy Conditions
Through the research of the present situations of the professional sports at home and abroad and its influence on economy, this paper points out the opportunities, challenges and the exist- ing main problems that the professional sports faces in the transitional peried-from plan economy to market economy, then elucidates that the professional sports can becompletely developed and improved and play an important role in the national economy under the market economy conditions.