The Worlds of the Greek Novels

Posted: 14 Mar 2010

Date Written: March 11, 2010

Abstract

Joseph L. Rife, Vanderbilt University Stephen M. Trzaskoma, University of New Hampshire

The Worlds of the Greek Novels

Since Perry (1967) and Reardon (1971) theorized ancient Greek prose fiction as a literary response to particular societal developments, an important strand of criticism has sought to connect the texts with the real world of their authors and readers. The culmination of these investigations can be seen in the publication of Piccolo mondo antico (Liviabella Furiani and Scarcella, eds., 1989), Le Monde du roman grec (Baslez, Hoffman, and Trédé, eds., 1992), and Fiction as History (Bowersock, 1994). More recently the discussion has been dominated by explorations of how the novels speak to the construction of a Greek identity in provincial Roman society. Much, however, remains to be done in connecting the novels to the societies that produced them. This panel seeks to reinvigorate a conversation in which the novels and related texts are seen as products of real people immersed in particular arrangements of society and material culture. Potential participants are encouraged to consider how elements of ancient fiction arose or were deployed as reflections of the worlds around them, but we are particularly interested in how the worlds presented in the ancient novels are conscious constructs that can be read as intentionally fictional—as explorations of reality, in other words, whether for the purpose of criticism or idealization through manipulation and distortion.

We invite abstracts for papers of 15-20 minutes that investigate these broad themes in social history and literary production while focusing on one or more of the following topics: urban and rural landscapes; ritual and sanctuaries; elite and non-elite status; education; slavery; social organization, gender, and kinship; material manifestations of texts (inscriptions and papyri); athletic competition; spectacle and its local contexts; doctors and medicine; and law and order. Papers should seek not merely to catalog how the texts straightforwardly portray features of provincial life, but analyze how these elements are part of a literary and ideological construction that can be contextualized through reference to the real world or representations of it. Another approach that would be welcome is the appraisal of how recent scholarship has developed techniques for performing such analyses.

The panel will include a brief introduction and a formal response by the organizers, but the intent is to leave sufficient time for a general discussion with the audience.

Suggested Citation

Trzaskoma, Stephen M., The Worlds of the Greek Novels (March 11, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1569133

Stephen M. Trzaskoma (Contact Author)

University of New Hampshire ( email )

306 Murkland Hall
15 Library Way
Durham, NH 03824
United States

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