A mixed review at BMCR of Sarolta Takács' The Construction of Authority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium: The Rhetoric of Empire by Steven Smith, Hofstra University:
The chapter concludes with a discussion of Claudian's Panegyricus de quarto consulatu Honorii Augusti
(112-118). Takács's reading of the poem, in which the dead emperor
Theodosius appears to counsel his young son Honorius, is compelling,
but Takács offers no explanation of the formative role of the
half-Vandal general Stilicho in defining Honorius' reign, nor does she
bring to her interpretation any of the crucial background provided by
Alan Cameron in his seminal 1970 book on Claudian. The
limited scope of Takács's discussion here prevents a more nuanced
interpretation of the rhetoric of paternity during this fascinating
period. Consideration of, for example, Claudian's Epithalamium
honoring the wedding of Honorius and Stilicho's daughter Maria would
have revealed how Stilicho's powerful position at court was maintained
in part by the proper articulation of his own filial relationship with
Theodosius.
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