Who was Gaius Plinius Luci fulius Caecilius Secundus? He was the Younger Pliny, for short, a lawyer, senator, consul, governor, and a passionate writer. He went to Rome to get a better education, but he also developed a stronger relationship with his uncle the Elder Pliny, his mother’s brother. After his uncle's death from the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, Elder Pliny’s will allowed Younger Pliny to inherit Elder Pliny’s property. Through his will, Elder Pliny also legally adopted Younger Pliny as his son, resulting in the change of his name. the YoungerPliny went on to become a husband, three times, yet never a real father by Roman societal standards. Pliny and his wives never gave birth to any biological children nor adopted children
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When writing to the grandfather, Pliny breaks the discouraging news of his wife’s miscarriage. Pliny says that the miscarriage was caused by his wife not knowing that she was pregnant and, as a result, not taking the proper precautions to ensure the birth of the baby. Pliny goes on to say that both he and the grandfather share the disappointment of not having someone to pass their legacy to due to his wife being young and inexperienced (Book 8 Letter 10). This letter further exemplifies how Pliny longed for an heir of his name and prestige. He specifically longed for a son that he could pass his legacy to after he died as this was a common practice among most traditional male Romans. Nonetheless, when writing the Calpurnia Hispulla, Pliny does say that he is and that the family should be grateful that the gods spared his wife’s life for she could have been dead also (Book 8 Letter 11). In that instance, Pliny cared more about his wife’s well-being then about keeping up with the Roman society’s standards of man. He, as a father would, valued his family more than the views of …show more content…
In his letter to Attius Clemens, Pliny states “If Rome has ever given a home to the liberal arts, they can be said to flourish here today…” (Book 1 Letter 10). Pliny was saying that he was living in a time where many of the great writers, playwrights, philosophers, artist, etc. thrived and everyone showed interest in the art movement; the arts weren’t limited to appealing to select group of people. There were frequently public events called readings where writers would publicly read some of their work to an audience. However, Pliny speaks of his disapproval of Romans at readings who do not show adequate respect to the artist performing. He says that some people were slow to come up to readings, missing the beginning of the show, while other boldly existed before the reading was over. As a result, audiences were often utterly rude to the person who was presenting. He also wrote about how most new Romans complain about wasting their time at readings instead wasting time engaging in unimportant socialization (Book 1 Letter 13). In both situations, Pliny was being a great father figure by pointing out the wrong behavior of other Romans and sharing their wrongs so that his companion will learn from the experience and not do the same. Pliny was also emphasizing that
When writing to the grandfather, Pliny breaks the discouraging news of his wife’s miscarriage. Pliny says that the miscarriage was caused by his wife not knowing that she was pregnant and, as a result, not taking the proper precautions to ensure the birth of the baby. Pliny goes on to say that both he and the grandfather share the disappointment of not having someone to pass their legacy to due to his wife being young and inexperienced (Book 8 Letter 10). This letter further exemplifies how Pliny longed for an heir of his name and prestige. He specifically longed for a son that he could pass his legacy to after he died as this was a common practice among most traditional male Romans. Nonetheless, when writing the Calpurnia Hispulla, Pliny does say that he is and that the family should be grateful that the gods spared his wife’s life for she could have been dead also (Book 8 Letter 11). In that instance, Pliny cared more about his wife’s well-being then about keeping up with the Roman society’s standards of man. He, as a father would, valued his family more than the views of …show more content…
In his letter to Attius Clemens, Pliny states “If Rome has ever given a home to the liberal arts, they can be said to flourish here today…” (Book 1 Letter 10). Pliny was saying that he was living in a time where many of the great writers, playwrights, philosophers, artist, etc. thrived and everyone showed interest in the art movement; the arts weren’t limited to appealing to select group of people. There were frequently public events called readings where writers would publicly read some of their work to an audience. However, Pliny speaks of his disapproval of Romans at readings who do not show adequate respect to the artist performing. He says that some people were slow to come up to readings, missing the beginning of the show, while other boldly existed before the reading was over. As a result, audiences were often utterly rude to the person who was presenting. He also wrote about how most new Romans complain about wasting their time at readings instead wasting time engaging in unimportant socialization (Book 1 Letter 13). In both situations, Pliny was being a great father figure by pointing out the wrong behavior of other Romans and sharing their wrongs so that his companion will learn from the experience and not do the same. Pliny was also emphasizing that