Sophrosune in the Greek novel : reading reactions to desire / Rachel Bird.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bird, Rachel, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greek fiction--History and criticism.

Greek fiction.

Temperance (Virtue) in literature.

Classical Studies & Archaeology.

Ancient Greek Literature (Classical Studies).

Ancient Philosophy (Classical Studies).

Ancient Novel (Classical Studies).

Local Subjects:

Classical Studies & Archaeology.

Ancient Greek Literature (Classical Studies).

Ancient Philosophy (Classical Studies).

Ancient Novel (Classical Studies).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 pages)

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

System Details:

text file

HTML

Summary:

"This book offers the first comprehensive evaluation of ethics in the ancient Greek novel, demonstrating how their representation of the cardinal virtue sophrosune positions these texts in their literary, philosophical and cultural contexts. Sophrosune encompasses the dispositions and psychological states of temperance, self-control, chastity, sanity and moderation. The Greek novels are the first examples of lengthy prose fiction in the Greek world, composed between the first century BCE and the fourth century CE. Each novel is concerned with a pair of beautiful, aristocratic lovers who undergo trials and tribulations, before a successful resolution is reached. Bird focuses on the extant examples of the genre (Chariton's Callirhoe, Xenophon of Ephesus' Ephesiaca, Longus' Daphnis and Chloe, Achilles Tatius' Leucippe and Clitophon and Heliodorus' Aethiopica), which all have the virtue of sophrosune at their heart. As each pair of lovers strives to retain their chastity in the face of adversity, and under extreme pressure from eros, it is essential to understand how this virtue is represented in the characters within each novel. Invited modes of reading also involve sophrosune, and the author provides an important exploration of how sophrosune in the reader is both encouraged and undermined by these works of fiction"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Chapter One: Characterized Sophrosune

Chapter Two: Readerly Sophrosune: Reader as Voyeur

Chapter Three: Readerly Sophrosune: Eros and Sophrosune

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

"Keywords: Ancient Greek novel, sophrosune, virtue, sexual desire, characterization, gender, intertextuality, narratology, readerly response, voyeurism."

Includes bibliographical references and (pages 213-226) index.

ISBN:

9781350108660

1350108669

9781350108653

1350108650

9781350108677

1350108677

OCLC:

1159659352