Margaret Graver

Margaret Graver serves as the Aaron Lawrence Professor in Classics at Dartmouth College, specializing in Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, with a particular focus on the philosophy of mind and emotion. She joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1996 after a brief stint as Visiting Assistant Professor at Princeton University from 1995 to 1996. Her academic journey began with a B.A. summa cum laude in Classics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982, followed by a Ph.D. in Classics from Brown University in 1996, where her dissertation examined “Therapeutic Reading and Seneca's Moral Epistles.” At Dartmouth, she advanced through the ranks: Assistant Professor from 1996 to 2002, Associate Professor from 2002 to 2008, and full Professor since 2008. Since 2018, she has chaired the Department of Classics. Graver teaches a range of courses on Greek and Roman philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Latin literature by authors such as Lucretius, Cicero, and Seneca, as well as Latin language courses.

Graver's scholarly contributions are substantial, with several influential books published by leading university presses. Notable works include Seneca: The Literary Philosopher (Cambridge University Press, 2023), Power and Persuasion in Cicero’s Philosophy (co-edited with Nathan Gilbert and Sean McConnell, Cambridge University Press, 2023), Seneca: Letters on Ethics (translated and commented with A.A. Long, University of Chicago Press, 2015), Seneca: Fifty Letters of a Roman Stoic (with A.A. Long, University of Chicago Press, 2021), Stoicism and Emotion (University of Chicago Press, 2007), and Cicero on the Emotions: Tusculan Disputations 3 and 4 (University of Chicago Press, 2002). These publications have garnered recognition, including Choice's Outstanding Academic Title for Stoicism and Emotion and Essential rating for Seneca: Letters on Ethics. She has also authored numerous articles and chapters, such as “The Stillness of the Sage's heart: Senecan ἀπάθεια and the Involuntary Feelings” (Oxford University Press, 2024) and “Does God Have a Choice? Human and Divine Volition in Stoic Philosophy” (De Gruyter, 2023). Beyond Dartmouth, Graver frequently lectures internationally, with recent presentations at institutions including the Swedish Archaeological Institute in Athens, Renmin University in Beijing, and Yale University. Her work significantly impacts the study of ancient philosophy.

Professional Email: Margaret.R.Graver@dartmouth.edu