Feeling History is a study of apostrophe i.e. the rhetorical device in which the narrator talks directly to his characters in Lucans Bellum Civile. Through the narrators direct addresses irony and grotesque imagery Lucan appears not as a nihilist but as a character deeply concerned about ethics. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate how Lucans style represents a criticism of the Roman approach to history epic ethics and aesthetics. The books chief interest lies in the ethical and moral stance that the poetnarrator takes toward his characters and his audience. To this end Francesca DAlessandro Behr studies the ways in which the narrator communicates ethical and moral judgments. Lucans retelling of this central historical epic triggers in the mind of the reader questions about the validity of the Roman imperial project as a whole. ampampnbsp An analysis of selected apostrophes from the Bellum Civile allows us to confront issues that are behind Lucans disquieting imageryampampnbsphow can we square the poets Stoic perspectives with his poetically conveyed emotional urgency Lucans approach seems inspired by Aristotle especially his Poetics as much as by Stoic philosophy. In Lucans aesthetic project participation and alienation work as phases through which the narrator leads the reader to a desired understanding of his work of art. At the same time the reader is confronted with the ends and limits of the aesthetic enterprise in general.ampampnbsp ampampnbsp Lucans longacknowledged political engagement must therefore be connected to his philosophical and aesthetic stance. In the same way that Lucan is unable to break free from the Virgilian model neither can he develop a defense of morality outside of the Stoic mold. His philosophy is not a crystal ball to read the future or a numbing drug imposing acceptance. The philosophical vision that Lucan finds intellectually and aesthetically compelling does not insulate his characters and readers from suffering nor does it ex