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Chapter 2 - Word and World: Fiction(ality)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2023

Jonas Grethlein
Affiliation:
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany
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Summary

While some Classicists have made cases for the birth of fiction, linking it to various authors and texts, others have argued that fictionality is a core concern of Greek literature from its beginnings to the Imperial era. In chapter 2, I agree with the idea that fictionality did not have to be discovered at some point but then proceed to argue that neither did it ever play an important role. After presenting evidence for the familiarity of fictionality in antiquity, I reconsider two authors who often appear as cornerstones in histories of fictionality, Gorgias and Aristotle. A closer look at their reflections draws our attention to two dimensions of ancient narrative that were deemed far more important than its referentiality, namely its immersive quality and its moral thrust.

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Chapter
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Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory
Towards a Critical Dialogue
, pp. 20 - 51
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Word and World: Fiction(ality)
  • Jonas Grethlein, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany
  • Book: Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009339605.002
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  • Word and World: Fiction(ality)
  • Jonas Grethlein, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany
  • Book: Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009339605.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Word and World: Fiction(ality)
  • Jonas Grethlein, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany
  • Book: Ancient Greek Texts and Modern Narrative Theory
  • Online publication: 11 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009339605.002
Available formats
×