The Epistle of the Exile

This thesis explores the manifestation of the exilic experience within the letters of Cicero, Ovid, and Seneca. My research identifies that there are similarities regarding how these authors depict themselves, what autonomy they gain through their readers, and how fortuna will affect the outcomes of their situation. I first assert that the textual self within the letter becomes pieces of the exile, namely, Cicero’s corpus, Seneca’s mens, and Ovid’s verbum, and transports these pieces back to Rome. I then argue that, without agency, each exile must rely on their readers back in Rome to act on behalf of them and fulfil their requests. Finally, I assess the result of their requests and exiles, in conversation with their perspectives of fortuna. My argument proposes that letters provide a temporary way for exiled authors, and their writing, to engage with that which is absent from them: their addressees and Rome itself.