Cicero’s De inventione and the shaping of the political sphere

Abstract

This paper analyses the political viewpoint of Cicero’s De inventione in the context of its initial dissemination, which is placed in the period 87-82 BCE. It argues that De inventione sets rhetorical instruction up as an inclusive space at which all (male) Roman citizens are welcome: it does not rely on any authority located in Roman social relations, and it avoids discussing the recent Social War. Comparison with Rhetorica ad Herennium underscores the extent to which De inventione involved choice by Cicero, who took the handbook format and turned it into a vehicle through which he could set out his views on sensitive contemporary issues despite his age and lack of public activity.