Ancient Menippean SatireJohns Hopkins University Press, 1993 - 306 pages Although the term Menippean satire was never used in antiquity to name a distinct literary genre (the term was coined in the sixteenth century), it has come to describe a vast body of world literature - from Erasmus and the humanists to Rabelais and Swift, from Moby Dick to Alice in Wonderland and Ulysses. The term is invoked to explain the origins of the modern novel and to categorize forms of prose fiction that are not essentially novelistic. But until now, no book has explored the full range of ancient Menippean satire from its origins to the early middle ages. In Ancient Menippean Satire, Joel C. Relihan charts the history and development of this ancient genre. He demonstrates its unity as a Greco-Roman phenomenon, describes its different branches, and shows the continuity of the genre into late classical and early Christian times. He also discusses the theories of the genre set forth by Northrop Frye and Mikhail Bakhtin and presents a new and detailed definition that respects the particularities of classical texts. In chapters on the fragments and testimonia relevant to Menippus and Varro, Relihan shows the specific Greek origins of the genre and its transformation in Roman hands. Subsequent chapters offer readings of Seneca's Apocolocyntosis Petronius, Lucian's Necyomantia and Icaromenippus, Julian's Symposium, Martianus Capella, Fulgentius's mythologies, and Ennodius's so-called Paraenesis Didascalica. Boethius's Consolation is dealt with in the Conclusion, which looks ahead to the Menippean satires of the twelfth century. Three appendixes discuss the relations between Menippean satire and the recently discovered fragments of Greek prosimetric fiction, and offer annotatedtranslations of the text of Ennodius and the Prologue of Fulgentius's Mythologies. |
Contents
One Some Modern Approaches 3 | 3 |
Two A Definition of Ancient Menippean Satire | 12 |
Three Menippus | 39 |
Copyright | |
14 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
allow ancient Apocolocyntosis appears Arcesilaus Arts attempt become beginning Boethius Caesars called Chapter character Christian claim Claudius comic conclusion consider Consolation criticism Cynic dead death described dialogue Diogenes discussion divine edition emperors Ennodius example fact faith fantastic fantastic voyage fiction follow fragments Fulgentius Further genre gods Greek heaven human humor Icaromenippus important influence instruction interpretation Julian knowledge late learning literary literature Lucian Martianus meaning Menip Menippean satire Menippus Menippus's mind moral Muses myth Mythologies narrator nature Necyomantia notes Nuptiis observe origins parody person Petronius Philology philosophical Plato poem poet poetry possible praise present prose question reference relation Rhetoric Roman Satyricon scene seems Seneca sense similar sort speaks speech story suggests tell theories things tion tradition true truth turn Varro verse writing