Historical reality and literature: The ridicule of old age in Rome

Abstract

Literature is a magnificent way of knowing the reality of life, even when it presents a modified version through the use of fantasy, hyperbole, literary resources, and a host of different elements. Through literature, we can glimpse and therefore identify many aspects of what constituted daily life and the concerns, desires, and aspirations of the society of the time. These aspects make literature a valuable instrument for gaining an understanding, albeit indirectly, of historical reality as a whole, and of old age in this particular case; more specifically, the ridicule suffered by the elderly in ancient Rome and the respect they received.