Fiction as History: Nero to JulianUsing pagan fiction produced in Greek and Latin during the early Christian era, G. W. Bowersock investigates the complex relationship between "historical" and "fictional" truths. This relationship preoccupied writers of the second century, a time when apparent fictions about both past and present were proliferating at an astonishing rate and history was being invented all over again. With force and eloquence, Bowersock illuminates social attitudes of this period and persuasively argues that its fiction was influenced by the emerging Christian Gospel narratives. Enthralling in its breadth and enhanced by two erudite appendices, this is a book that will be warmly welcomed by historians and interpreters of literature. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - jsburbidge - LibraryThingThe core thread of these lectures is an argument that the Greek novel,which flourished from the late first century to the fourth, draws themes and ideas from then-nascent Christianity. It can get ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - DinadansFriend - LibraryThingThis book is not a piece of light entertainment. Bowersock's ingenious investigation into the interweaving of Secular Roman literature in the period 100 - 250 CE, has value for the specialist in the ... Read full review
Contents
Truth in Lying | 1 |
Other Peoples Other Places | 29 |
The Wounded Savior | 55 |
The Reality of Dreams | 77 |
Resurrection | 99 |
Polytheism and Scripture | 121 |
Appendixes | 145 |
Bibliography | 161 |
Index Locorum | 169 |
175 | |
Other editions - View all
Fiction as History: Nero to Julian Glen Warren Bowersock,Professor Emeritus of Ancient History G W Bowersock No preview available - 1994 |
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