Biography
Victoria Emma Pagán’s research focuses on Roman historiography, Tacitus, post-Augustan literature, gardens in literature, and conspiracy and conspiracy theory. She is a professor in the Department of Classics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Areas of Expertise (4)
Gardens in Literature
Roman History
Conspiracy Theory
Latin Literature
Media Appearances (2)
Victoria Pagan, University of Florida – Conspiracy Theories
The Academic Minute online
2016-10-21
Could modern conspiracy theories be traced back to ancient Rome? Victoria Pagan, professor of classics at University of Florida, delves into whether ancient examples can relate to present day theories.
Almost Any Politician In A Democracy Is A Bit Of A Demagogue
Zócalo Public Square online
2016-06-22
With perhaps one exception, the only current presidential candidate who wouldn’t be recognized as a demagogue in ancient times might be Hillary Clinton—because as University of Florida classicist Victoria Emma Pagán noted, “There wouldn’t have been a Hillary Clinton in ancient Rome or ancient Greece—women did not participate in the government at all.”
Articles (1)
Tacitean inflections of sincerity
Latin Poetry and Its ReceptionVictoria Emma Pagán
2021-03-31
Latin literature of the imperial age is rife with moments when the sincerity of the author is notoriously difficult to gage. From the end of Ovid’s Metamorphoses to the beginning of Lucan’s Bellum Ciuile to moments throughout Pliny’s Panegyricus, passages resist sure-footed interpretation. However, Tacitus provides some hitherto-unnoticed guidance: ‘It is no secret when an emperor’s deeds are celebrated genuinely and when with illusory gladness’ (Annals 4.31.2).