ABSTRACT
This chapter uses Roman satire to show that the genre of city literature is a very old one by demonstrating some of the ways in which Roman satire is a product of urban development and inextricable from the urban landscape. After an introduction to the genre of Roman satire, this chapter conducts a survey of the programmatic statements from satirists about the nature of the genre, which demonstrate its relationship with the city. When satirists discuss the act of writing satire, it is not just framed within the city but even imagined as an urban practice, akin to public urination for its ability to express disgust. The chapter then uses the imperial satirist Juvenal’s third satire, on the city of Rome, as a case study for the quintessentially urban nature of the genre.
