Introduction: The Apocolocyntosis Summary

There is little doubt that Seneca the Younger wrote The Apocolocyntosis. Minor objections are raised about his authorship due in part to its strange title which translates to Transfiguration of a Pumpkin-head, a term synonymous with empty-hotheadedness and stupidity. Some scholars think that Petronius, who wrote The Satyricon, was the actual author. However, they were both courtesans of the Nero court at the same time and the traditions of language and colloquialisms account for their similar styles. Timing is a factor in determining the identity of the author. Claudius had just died a year before the The Apocolocyntosis was written. Effective satire is typically written about a "current subject." The over-done praise of Nero seems most fitting at the beginning of his reign. The likeliest scenario is that the author was of early Neronian time. The author is skilled...