Plutarch’s Pragmatic Biographies: Lessons for Statesmen and Generals in the __Parallel Lives__

In Plutarch's Pragmatic Biographies , Susan Jacobs argues that the Parallel Lives portray historical leaders solving problems familiar to statesmen and generals. By linking victories and defeats to moral character, strategic insights and practical skills, Plutarch provided lessons in effective leadership. In 'plutarch's Pragmatic Biographies', Susan Jacobs Argues For A Major Revision In How We Interpret The Parallel Lives. She Integrates The Existing Focus On Moral Issues Into The Much Broader Paradigm Of Effective Leadership Found In Plutarch's Moralia. There, In Addition To Moral Virtue, The Successful Leader Needed Good Critical Judgment, Persuasiveness And Facility In Managing Alliances And Rivalries. The Analysis Of Six Sets Of Lives Shows How Plutarch Carefully Portrayed Greek And Roman Leaders Of The Past Assessing Situations And Solving Problems That Paralleled Those Faced By His Politically-active Audience. By Linking Victories And Defeats To Specific Strategic Insights And Practical Skills, Plutarch Created 'pragmatic Biographies' That Could Instruct Statesmen And Generals Of Every Era. Training The Politikos Under Rome -- Plutarch And His Audience -- Plutarch's Concept Of The Politikos -- Plutarch's Audience As Politikoi -- Political Careers Open To The Educated Elite -- Conclusion: Implications For Interpreting The Parallel Lives -- Pragmatic Literature For Statesmen And Generals -- Advice Literature -- Pragmatic History -- Individual Lives Of Statesmen And Generals: Nepos And Plutarch -- Conclusion: Implications For The Purpose Of The Parallel Lives -- Didactic Agenda Of The Parallel Lives: Insights From The Prologues And Synkriseis -- Statesmanship And Generalship In The Prologues -- Statesmanship In The Synkriseis -- Techniques For Reinforcing Pragmatic Lessons Across The Parallel Lives -- Conclusion: Didactic Agenda Of The Parallel Lives As Pragmatic Biography -- Political And Military Leadership -- Pericles-fabius Maximus -- Introduction -- Life Of Pericles -- Life Of Fabius Maximus -- Insights From The Synkrisis -- Coriolanus-aleibiades -- Introduction -- Life Of Coriolanus -- Life Of Alcibiades -- Insights From The Synkrisis -- Agesilaus-pompey -- Introduction -- Life Of Agesilaus -- Life Of Pompey -- Insights From The Synkrisis -- Ruling And Being Ruled -- Aemilius-timoleon -- Introduction -- Life Of Aemilius Paullus -- Life Of Timoleon -- Insights From The Synkrisis -- Demetrius-antony -- Introduction -- Life Of Demetrius -- Life Of Antony -- Insights From The Synkrisis -- Phocion-cato Minor -- Introduction -- Life Of Phocion -- Life Of Cato Minor -- Insights From Analyzing Differences -- Conclusion -- Plutarch's Project In The Parallel Lives -- Applying The Exempla -- Reception Of The Lives As Pragmatic Biography In The Western Classical Tradition -- Pragmatic Biography Versus Explorations Of Issues Of Virtue And Vice. By Susan G. Jacobs. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In English With Passages In Greek And Latin. Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Sources and Abbreviations......Page 13 List of Tables......Page 16 Introduction......Page 17 Part 1 Training the Politikos under Rome......Page 27 Chapter 1 Plutarch and His Audience......Page 29 1.1 Plutarch’s Concept of the Politikos......Page 31 1.2 Plutarch’s Audience as Politikoi......Page 41 1.3 Political Careers Open to the Educated Elite......Page 47 1.4 Conclusion: Implications for Interpreting the Parallel Lives......Page 54 Chapter 2 Pragmatic Literature for Statesmen and Generals......Page 55 2.1 Advice Literature......Page 57 2.2 Pragmatic History......Page 93 2.3 Individual Lives of Statesmen and Generals: Nepos and Plutarch......Page 100 2.4 Conclusion: Implications for the Purpose of the Parallel Lives......Page 108 Chapter 3 Didactic Agenda of the Parallel Lives: Insights from the Prologues and Synkriseis......Page 109 3.1 Statesmanship and Generalship in the Prologues......Page 110 3.2 Statesmanship in the Synkriseis......Page 124 3.3 Techniques for Reinforcing Pragmatic Lessons Across the Parallel Lives......Page 134 3.4 Conclusion: Didactic Agenda of the Parallel Lives as Pragmatic Biography......Page 136 Part 2 Political and Military Leadership......Page 139 4.1 Introduction......Page 144 4.2 Life of Pericles......Page 149 4.3 Life of Fabius Maximus......Page 171 4.4 Insights from the Synkrisis......Page 194 5.1 Introduction......Page 196 5.2 Life of Coriolanus......Page 199 5.3 Life of Alcibiades......Page 220 5.4 Insights from the Synkrisis......Page 241 6.1 Introduction......Page 243 6.2 Life of Agesilaus......Page 245 6.3 Life of Pompey......Page 266 6.4 Insights from the Synkrisis......Page 290 Part 3 Ruling and Being Ruled......Page 293 7.1 Introduction......Page 299 7.2 Life of Aemilius Paullus......Page 301 7.3 Life of Timoleon......Page 321 7.4 Insights from the Synkrisis......Page 338 8.1 Introduction......Page 341 8.2 Life of Demetrius......Page 345 8.3 Life of Antony......Page 361 8.4 Insights from the Synkrisis......Page 381 9.1 Introduction......Page 383 9.2 Life of Phocion......Page 387 9.3 Life of Cato Minor......Page 405 9.4 Insights from Analyzing Differences......Page 430 10.1 Plutarch’s Project in the Parallel Lives......Page 432 10.2 Applying the Exempla......Page 436 10.3 Reception of the Lives as Pragmatic Biography in the Western Classical Tradition......Page 438 10.4 “Pragmatic Biography” versus “Explorations of Issues of Virtue and Vice”......Page 445 Bibliography......Page 447 Index......Page 467