Overview

The oldest European novels were written in ancient Greek during the first few centuries of the Common Era. Despite the gold rush towards these novels in the last two decades and the resurgence of interest in representations of character in literary studies, and Classical studies in particular, no volume has yet been devoted to exploring character and characterization in the ancient Greek novels. This study analyses the characterization of the protagonists in the five extant, so-called 'ideal' Greek novels (those of Chariton, Xenophon of Ephesus, Achilles Tatius, Longus, and Heliodorus). De Temmerman offers close readings of techniques of characterization used in each novel and combines modern--mainly, but not exclusively, structuralist--narratology and ancient rhetoric. He argues that three conceptual couples central to ancient theory of character, typification/individuation, idealistic/realistic characterization, and static/dynamic character, construct character in these narratives more ambiguously, more elusively, and in more complex ways than has so far been realized. Throughout the different chapters, it also becomes clear how intimately presentations of character are intertwined with self-portrayal and performance of the self.

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9780199686148

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Crafting Characters will become a must-read not only for scholars interested in the Greek novels but also for those working on biography (Plutarch is regularly discussed in the book) and on ancient constructions of the character. * Silvia Montiglio, Hermathena * [I]t offers and engaging close reading of the novelistic characters and a plethora of interesting intratextual and intertextual (especially between the novels) observations ... it is a valuable addition to the scholarly analysis of the Greek novels and will provide an inspirational point of reference for future studies on ancient Greek characterization. * Anna Lefteratou, Exemplaria Classica * Lucid writing combined with a persuasive argument and great attention to detail results in a highly accessible book that will be of great interest to scholars of the ancient novel and literary characterisation alike. * Elizabeth Dollins, Sharp News * Lucid writing combined with a persuasive argument and great attention to detail results in a highly accessible book that will be of great interest to scholars of the ancient novel and literary characterisation alike. * Elizabeth Dollins, SHARP News *

Lucid writing combined with a persuasive argument and great attention to detail results in a highly accessible book that will be of great interest to scholars of the ancient novel and literary characterisation alike. Elizabeth Dollins, SHARP News

Author Information

Koen De Temmerman is a Research Professor at Ghent University. He is also a visiting member of the Classics Centre at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

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