Shaping the Canons of Ancient Greek Historiography : Imitation, Classicism, and Literary Criticism

The main focus of this book is the ancient formation and development of the canons of Greek historiography. It takes a fresh look on the modern debate on canonical literature and deals with Greek historiographical traditions in the works of ancient rhetors and literary critics. Writings on historiography by Cicero, Quintilian, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus are chiefly taken into account to explore the canons of Greek historians in Hellenistic and Roman Imperial Ages. Essential in canon-formation was the concept of classicism which took shape in the Age of Augustus, but whose earlier developments can be traced back to Isocrates, a model rhetor according to Dionysius at the end of the 1st century BC. The analysis explores also late-antique authors of school treatises and progymnasmata, a field where historiography had a pedagogical function. Previous studies on canonical literature have rarely considered historiography. This book examines not only the works of ancient historians and their legacy, but also the relationship between historiography, literary criticism, and the rhetorical tradition. Acknowledgements 7 Contents 9 Abbreviations and Translations 13 Introduction 15 1 .Ancient Literary Canons from Antiquity to the Present Day 21 2. Cicero, History-Writing, and Canonical Greek Historians 53 3 .Shaping the Canons: Dionysius’ Critical Essays 80 4. In the Wake of Classicism: Dionysius, Rome, and Classical Athens 117 5. Canons Βefore the Canon: From Athens to Alexandria 137 6. Greek Historians in the Classroom: Literary Critics and Progymnasmata 175 7. From Dio Chrysostom to Late Antiquity: A Diachronic Analysis of the Canons of Greek Historiography 203 Conclusions 236 Bibliography 247 Index of Names and Subjects 279 Selective index of Greek terms 290 Index locorum 291 This book considers the formation and development of the canons of Greek historians in the ancient rhetorical tradition and in school treatises. Beginning with Cicero and Quintilian and focusing on the rhetor and historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus, it tackles the contemporary debate on literary canons, as well as the relationship between historiography, literary criticism, and ancient rhetoric Ivan Matijašić. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.