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Chapter 11 - Banter, Teasing and Politeness in Varro’s De Re Rustica

from Part III - Im/Politeness in Use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2022

Luis Unceta Gómez
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Łukasz Berger
Affiliation:
University of Adam Mickiewicz, Poland
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Summary

This chapter examines Varro’s depictions of teasing and banter in his dialogue De Re Rustica, with particular reference to issues of im/politeness. In many cases, this banter involves some kind of provocation of the addressee, and so risks being construed as impolite. In most instances, however, the witty phrasing conveys a playful intent, which ensures that the remark does not cause offence. The end result is usually heightened rapport among the participants. In several cases Varro’s teasing involves ‘collaborative’ banter, in which both participants contribute to the construction of a playful conceit. In other instances, however, the teasing quips are one-sided, with no response reported. In such cases the emphasis seems to be on the display of quick-witted inventiveness for its own sake. This energetic interaction differs from the highly conventionalized language of social negotiation typically used by the Roman elite. Indeed, it is significant that Cicero’s real-life epistolary relationship with Varro was marked by a degree of formality that eschewed the use of banter. In this respect, the right to tease was one extended only to a privileged sub-set of personal acquaintances

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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