The Cambridge Companion to the Greek and Roman Novel

by Tim Whitmarsh

Overview

The Greek and Roman novels of Petronius, Apuleius, Longus, Heliodorus and others have been cherished for millennia, but never more so than now. The Cambridge Companion to the Greek and Roman Novel contains nineteen original essays by an international cast of experts in the field. The emphasis is upon the critical interpretation of the texts within historical settings, both in antiquity and in the later generations that have been and continue to be inspired by them. All the central issues of current scholarship are addressed: sexuality, cultural identity, class, religion, politics, narrative, style, readership and much more. Four sections cover cultural context of the novels, their contents, literary form, and their reception in classical antiquity and beyond. Each chapter includes guidance on further reading. This collection will be essential for scholars and students, as well as for others who want an up-to-date, accessible introduction into this exhilarating material.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521865906
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2008
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Literature
Pages:	412
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Tim Whitmarsh is E. P. Warren Praelector in Classics at Corpus Christi and Lecturer in Greek Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. He has published widely on the Greek literature of the Roman period, including Greek Literature and the Roman Empire: The Politics of Imitation (2001) and The Second Sophistic (2005). He has lectured all over the world, given television interviews, appeared on Radio 4 and written for the Times Literary Supplement.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction Tim Whitmarsh; Part I. Contexts: 2. Literary milieux Ewen Bowie; 3. The history of sexuality Helen Morales; 4. Cultural identity Susan Stephens; 5. Class Tim Whitmarsh; Part II. The World of the Novel: 6. Religion Froma Zeitlin; 7. Travel James Romm; 8. Body and text Jason König; 9. Time Lawrence Kim; 10. Politics and spectacles Catherine Connors; Part III. Form: 11. Genre Simon Goldhill; 12. Approaching style and rhetoric Andrew Laird; 13. Intertextuality John Morgan and Stephen Harrison; 14. Narrative Tim Whitmarsh and Shadi Bartsch; Part IV. Reception: 15. Ancient readers Richard Hunter; 16. Byzantine readers Joan Burton; 17. The re-emergence of the novel in Western Europe, 1300-1810 Michael Reeve; 18. Novels ancient and modern Gerald Sandy and Stephen Harrison; 19. Modernity and post-modernity Massimo Fusillo.

Editorial Reviews

"The essays are self-standing, well-written, and provide useful guides to further reading. They sum up the state of current scholarship, but what lends the volume enduring value is that the essays also offer provocative new interpretations that will inspire further thinking and investigation. An invaluable resource for classicists and anyone interested in ancient literature and the history of the novel." —Choice

"Whitmarsh has edited an extremely rich and stimulating volume that demonstrates the sophistication of the literature it deals with and of the criticism of contemporary classicists. The contributors engage with the novel at an extremely high level and with impressive specialism, bringing their perspectives to bear upon the genre. It will certainly be of great use to scholars of the ancient novel." —BCMR

From the Publisher