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The Ancient Greek Novel and Its Heroines: a Female Paradox

The Ancient Greek Novel and Its Heroines: a Female Paradox THE ANCIENT GREEK NOVEL AND ITS HEROINES: A FEMALE PARADOX BY S. WIERSMA In this paper I discuss some aspects of the dominant role played by the heroines in the ancient Greek novels. I try to make clear that from the viewpoint of the audience they probably acted within the bounds of familiar and socially acceptable female behaviour. First I shall survey the historical background of the ancient Greek novels (I). Next I shortly treat late Hellenistic milieu in comparison with the settings of the novels (II). Finally, I deal with the paradox- ical combination of modesty and prominence which is characteristic not only of the actions and behaviour of the heroines in the Greek novels but also of certain public roles upper-class women could play in Hellenistic society (III). I. The writers of ancient fiction took some trouble to furnish their stories with a touch of reality, and, unlike some of their imitators in Renaissance and baroque European literature, they eschewed philosophical digression. Apparently, they set out to con- coct series of events following a 'natural' course. They tried to make their books agreeable pieces of entertain- ment. Accordingly, they developed a variety of effective tools as, for http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mnemosyne Brill

The Ancient Greek Novel and Its Heroines: a Female Paradox

Wiersma, S.
Mnemosyne , Volume 43 (1-2): 15 – Jan 1, 1990
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0026-7074
eISSN
1568-525X
DOI
10.1163/156852590x00063
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE ANCIENT GREEK NOVEL AND ITS HEROINES: A FEMALE PARADOX BY S. WIERSMA In this paper I discuss some aspects of the dominant role played by the heroines in the ancient Greek novels. I try to make clear that from the viewpoint of the audience they probably acted within the bounds of familiar and socially acceptable female behaviour. First I shall survey the historical background of the ancient Greek novels (I). Next I shortly treat late Hellenistic milieu in comparison with the settings of the novels (II). Finally, I deal with the paradox- ical combination of modesty and prominence which is characteristic not only of the actions and behaviour of the heroines in the Greek novels but also of certain public roles upper-class women could play in Hellenistic society (III). I. The writers of ancient fiction took some trouble to furnish their stories with a touch of reality, and, unlike some of their imitators in Renaissance and baroque European literature, they eschewed philosophical digression. Apparently, they set out to con- coct series of events following a 'natural' course. They tried to make their books agreeable pieces of entertain- ment. Accordingly, they developed a variety of effective tools as, for

Journal

Mnemosyne – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1990

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