Petronius’ Encyclopedia: Neronian lessons in learning – the hard way

This article analyses how Petronius' Satyricon embroiders, applies and tests knowledge, within the wider context of first century trends in textualising and codifying knowledge. Through close readings of the Cena Trimalchionis in particular, it discusses how knowledge in this text is often presented as a kind of madness, a recipe for paranoia and a threat to to the self, even as it reassures and entertains. The Satyricon's many performances often pressure Foucault's power/knowledge formula: as such, the novel represents a fascinating philosophical and poetic interrogation of the knowledge 'industry' generated by and expressed through Roman imperial technical writing.