Fantasy in Greek and Roman Literature (Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies)

"Fantasy in Greek and Roman Literature offers an overview of Greek and Roman excursions into fantasy, including imaginary voyages, dream-worlds, talking animals and similar impossibilities. This is a territory seldom explored and extends to rarely read texts such as the Aesop Romance, The Battle of the Frogs and the Mice, and The Pumpkinification of the Emperor Claudius. Bringing this diverse material together for the first time, Anderson widens readers' perspectives on the realm of fantasy in ancient literature, including topics such as dialogues with the dead, Utopian communities and fantastic feasts. Going beyond the more familiar world of myth, his examples range from The Golden Ass to the Late Antique Testament of a Pig. The volume also explores ancient resistance to the world of make-believe. Fantasy in Greek and Roman Literature is an invaluable resource not only for students of classical and comparative literature, but also for modern writers on fantasy who want to explore the genre's origins in antiquity, both in the more obvious and in lesser-known texts." - Prové de l'editor Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication Page 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 Abbreviations 12 Chapter 1 Introduction 14 Towards a definition 14 Imagining the gods, or a three-headed man 15 Some examples from Longinus 16 Fantasy or mouse-epic? 16 Disapproval of fantasy 17 In search of fantasy 18 The operation of fantasy 20 Longus and the elusiveness of myth 23 Conclusions 23 Notes 24 Part I Themes of fantasy 26 Chapter 2 Otherworldly conversations in antiquity 28 More talking to the dead 29 Conversations with the gods 32 Some exotic settings 34 Heroic correspondence 35 Conclusions 36 Notes 36 Chapter 3 Talking animals, monstrous creatures 38 More elaborate developments 39 The folklore of fable 46 The traditional mythical monsters 47 Centaurs, satyrs and others 49 Conclusions 51 Notes 51 Chapter 4 Fantastic voyages, other communities 53 Travellers’ tales 53 Dionysus and the Pirates 55 Once more the appetite for marvels 56 The Utopian tradition 59 Resurrecting Atlantis 61 Conclusions 66 Notes 67 Chapter 5 Dreams, apparitions, horror 69 Two versions of dreamland 71 Some dream interpretation 72 A special case: Artemidorus’ Oneirocritica 75 Dreams of Perpetua 76 Day-dreams 76 Apparitions 77 Two versions of the unburied corpse 79 Horror 80 Magic and magicians 83 Curses 85 Perverted art 86 Conclusions 87 Notes 87 Chapter 6 Some fantastic aspects of myth 89 Down and up again: the impossible Underworld 89 Virgil and Ovid on Orpheus and Eurydice 91 Heaven or Olympus 92 Standard mythical narrative: the case of Europa 93 Some Second Sophistic treatments 94 Conclusions 101 Notes 101 Chapter 7 The ultimate myth: metamorphosis 103 Towards a science of change? 103 A rationale of metamorphosis? 104 Exploiting the grotesque 105 The cases of Circe and Photis 106 Some explanations 108 Conclusions 111 Notes 111 Chapter 8 Bizarre banquets, topsy-turvy tables 113 Symposiac tradition 113 Satirists on dining 115 Plutarch’s Banquet of the Seven Sages 121 Conclusions 122 Notes 122 Chapter 9 Planting the phallus: sexual fantasy 124 The world of the Priapeia 125 Further sexual inventions 129 Conclusions 131 Notes 132 Part II Divergent imaginations 134 Chapter 10 Verse fantasy into prose 136 Moschus’ Europa 138 The handling of erotic themes 140 Erotic ecphrasis 143 Alciphron, Aelian and New Comedy 144 Conclusions 145 Notes 146 Chapter 11 Inventing the past in Homer and Philostratus 147 Imagining heroic childhood 149 Other perspectives on the past 150 Looking back to Homer: the outlook of Philostratus’ Heroicus 154 Conclusions 157 Notes 157 Part III Fantastic texts 160 Chapter 12 Fantasy in Old Comedy and Lucian 162 The Old Comic repertoire 162 Aristophanes constrained: Lucian and comic dialogue 165 Plutus and Timon 167 Spontaneity vs. refinement 169 Conclusions 171 Notes 171 Chapter 13 Getting into heaven: Lucian’s Icaromenippus and Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis 173 Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis divi Claudii 177 Notes 179 Chapter 14 The summation of fantasy: Lucian’s True Histories 180 From the sea to the moon 180 From Lamptown to the whale 182 From the Isle of the Blest to the far continent 182 Techniques and themes of fantasy 183 Grouping and spacing 183 Lucian’s persona in his travels 184 A specimen episode: the Isle of the Blest 185 The ultimate fantasy? 186 Notes 187 Part IV Consumers of fantasy 190 Chapter 15 Narrators and audiences for Fantasy 192 Wonder narrative as diversion 193 Symposiac storytelling 194 Other pretexts for tales 195 The audience 196 Storytelling and children 197 Wisdom and scholarly storytelling 197 Two fantastic settings 199 Conclusions 200 Notes 200 Chapter 16 Some approaches, ancient and modern 202 Ancient criticism 204 Modern theory 206 Some approaches to Lucian’s Verae Historiae 210 Notes 211 Chapter 17 Conclusions 213 The role of key texts 215 Notes 216 Appendix 217 Verbal fantasy 217 Mangled mythology 217 Nonsense verbiage 218 Gobbledegook and bombastiloquence 219 Rhetoric run riot 220 Notes 221 Bibliography 222 Index 230 Fantasy In Greek And Roman Literature Offers An Overview Of Greek And Roman Excursions Into Fantasy, Including Imaginary Voyages, Dream-worlds, Talking Animals And Similar Impossibilities. This Is A Territory Seldom Explored And Extends To Rarely Read Texts Such As The Aesop Romance, The Battle Of The Frogs And The Mice, And The Pumpkinification Of The Emperor Claudius. Bringing This Diverse Material Together For The First Time, Anderson Widens Readers' Perspectives On The Realm Of Fantasy In Ancient Literature, Including Topics Such As Dialogues With The Dead, Utopian Communities And Fantastic Feasts. Going Beyond The More Familiar World Of Myth, His Examples Range From The Golden Ass To The Late Antique Testament Of A Pig. The Volume Also Explores Ancient Resistance To The World Of Make-believe. Fantasy In Greek And Roman Literature Is An Invaluable Resource Not Only For Students Of Classical And Comparative Literature, But Also For Modern Writers On Fantasy Who Want To Explore The Genre's Origins In Antiquity, Both In The More Obvious And Lesser Known Texts.