Classical Texts and History • Re: On Seneca's 'Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium'

... I follow the clear majority of scholars since Griffin in believing that the correspondence is essentially fictional.11

11. cf. Inwood 2005, 346: “it is now widely accepted . . . that the correspondence of Seneca with Lucilius is to a great extent fictitious.” It is not possible to rehearse the many grounds for this judgment here (Griffin 1976, 416–19, is the classic statement of the case; Mazzoli 1989, 1846–55, is an excellent status quaestionis). I submit, however, that beyond the arguments adduced by Griffin et al., the fictional or literary camp (especially Maurach 1970, Henderson 2004, and Schönegg 1999, in addition to the scholars mentioned above at n. 10) has by now thoroughly vindicated its basic assumption by the valuable results derived from it.

Griffin, M. (1976) Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics. Oxford. https://archive.org/details/senecaphilo ... 5/mode/2up
Henderson, J. (2004) Morals and Villas in Seneca’s “Letters”: Places to Dwell. Cambridge.
Inwood, B. (2005) 'Seneca and Self-Assertion,' in Reading Seneca: Stoic Philosophy at Rome, 322–52. Oxford.
Mazzoli, G. (1989) Le Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium di Seneca: Valore letterario e filosofico. ANRW 2.36.3: 1823–77.
Maurach, G. (1970) Der Bau von Senecas “Epistulae Morales.” Heidelberg.
Schönegg, B. (1999) Senecas “Epistulae Morales” als philosophisches Kunstwerk. Bern.
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Seneca is undoubtedly also responding to multiple literary influences in choosing the epistolary form. The philosophical letter was already an established genre (of which Epicurus is the most important practitioner; letters purporting to be by Plato, Aristotle, and other figures also circulated in antiquity). Cicero’s correspondence with Atticus had apparently recently been published (Seneca’s references to it at 21.4, 107.3, and 118.1 are the earliest extant notice of these letters). Horace’s Epistles have also been seen as a possible influence (Maurach 1970, 196–97). By his frequent engagement with either author, Seneca strongly hints that Epicurus and Cicero are the relevant models (roughly speaking: the former for the content, the latter for the form). Cicero’s correspondence Ad Atticum will have shown to Seneca how a series of letters, published by their author, can reveal the interior life of the sender and hint strongly at the words and personality of their recipient.