Michael Paschalis, Stavros Frangoulidis (edd.), Space in the ancient novel

B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 Michael Paschalis, S a os F angoulidis, Space in he Ancien No el. Ancien Na a i e Supplemen um 1. G oningen: Ba khuis & The Uni e si y Lib a y G oningen, 2002. Pp. xi , 192. ISBN 90-807390-2-2. EUR 50.00. Con ibu o s: D. Kons an, C. Conno s, M. M. Winkle , S. J. Ha ison, L. G a e ini, M. Zimme man, S. Panayo akis, J. Pe kins, M. Paschalis, R. P. Ma in, N. W. Sla e , S. F angoulidis Re iewed by Juan Ma os, Uni e si y o Se illa (juanma os @us.es) Wo d coun : 2103 wo ds This is a collec ion o pape s o iginally p esen ed a an in e na ional con e ence held in Re hymnon and o ganized by he Depa men o Philology o he Uni e si y o C e e on May 14-15, 2001.1 This mee ing was he i s o he biennial RICAN (Re hymnon In e na ional Con e ences on he Ancien No el),2 which in end o con inue he adi ion o GCN (G oningen Colloquia on he No el). Since his book also appea s as he i s supplemen o a new elec onic jou nal, Ancien Na a i e (hence o h AN), wi h which i sha es some ea u es, i makes sense o in oduce bo h oge he : he a icles published in AN appea on i s websi e wi h ee access o abs ac s and e iews (a websi e e e y schola in e es ed in ancien no el should isi ) and hey a e subjec o discussion o some mon hs; a e a yea he au ho s e ise hei pape s and hey a e de ini i ely edi ed bo h in a p in ed e sion o he jou nal and on he websi e. The same p ocedu e is ollowed o he chap e s o he supplemen s. An abs ac o e e y pape in his book and b ie cu icula o all he con ibu o s can be ound on his web page. As usual in his kind o books, he quali y and o iginali y o he a icles and e en he ways hey i he subjec o he compila ion a e a he di e se. Ne e heless mos o he a icles do ac ually encompass he idea o space, pa ly because i is used in such a b oad sense ha i comp ises, o ins ance, ci ies and coun ies (G a e ini, Ha ison), oads and a els (Zimme man) and e en he oom included in some buildings (Panayo akis, Pe kins). Ye , al hough i may always be alleged ha e e y hing happens somewhe e, i is di icul o disco e any link be ween he heme o space and some o he pape s (Winkle and F angoulidis, o example). As he c i e ion o ga he ing hese a icles was hei ela ion o a heme, he e is no an equi able dis ibu ion o pape s among he ex an ancien no els: he e a e no con ibu ions abou Pe onius, o example, bu he e a e six i ems de o ed o Apuleius Me amo phoses, while Cha i on, Longus, and Apollonius o Ty e, Achilles Ta ius and Philos a us ( oge he ), and he Apoc yphal Ac s o Apos les a e each s udied in a single chap e . In he i s pape ("Na a i e Spaces"), Da id Kons an asce ains a no able di e ence be ween Roman and G eek na a i e in he ac ha La in no els es ic hemsel es o a single ac ion space ( he na a o always ollows he cen al cha ac e ), while among he B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 h p://bmc .b ynmaw .edu/2003/2003-10-01.h ml 1 de 5 22/10/2014 10:31 G eek no els, hose o Xenophon o Ephesus, Cha i on, and Longus shi hei ocus among se e al ac ion spaces. His s udy o he de ices used by G eek w i e s o change locale (pp. 4-9) and his a emp s o explain hem as ways o exp ess aspec s o he na a i e a e ema kable. Finally, Kons an inds in his o iog aphy a possible sou ce o his echnique o swi ching spaces: his aspec o he in luence o his o iog aphy3 upon G eek no el dese ed, in my opinion, mo e space han only a pa ag aph and he inal conclusions. Ca he ine Conno s's main pu pose in "Cha i on's Sy acuse and i s His o ies o Empi e" is o demons a e ha his no el can con ibu e o ou unde s anding o cons uc ions o G eek iden i y unde he Roman Empi e (p. 13). A e adducing he in luence o his o iog aphy upon he no el, as well as he ough connec ions be ween i s plo and he ac ual his o y o Sy acuse, Conno s aces links be ween Augus us and Sy acuse on one hand and Cha i on and he impe ial amily on he o he o sugges some c yp ic allusions in he no el o he Roman ule s. He conclusions may be s imula ing, hough hey a e highly specula i e;4 bu , i he e is allego ical suppo o Augus us's e sion o he empi e (p. 24), I wonde why i should appea so hidden in he no el, e en i i is supposed o be an "eli e G eek esponse o Roman Empi e." Ma in Winkle 's "Ch ono ope and locus amoenus in Daphnis and Chloe and Pleasan ille" is a compa ison o his ancien no el and he 1998 ilm by Ga y Ross. Al hough he e a e no di ec in luences, hey sha e some majo hemes, no ably sexual awakening; besides, he mo ie uses some classical mo i s such as he locus amoenus. Winkle no ices hese and o he pa allels and commen s on hem. This kind o pape dealing wi h connec ions be ween ancien no els and mode n ilms,5 may p oduce some s imula ing obse a ions, and his seems hei sole pu pose; bu om he poin o iew o ancien na a i e, i a ely adds o ac ual p og ess in ou unde s anding o he ex s. S ephen Ha ison in his "Li e a y Topog aphy in Apuleius' Me amo phoses" s udies bo h allusions o o he ex s h ough opog aphy and he way some place-names insinua e o in oduce hemes and ideas in o he no el (p. 40). This a icle includes a good look a he whole ex h ough examples and mixes a comple e su ey o p e ious schola ship wi h some ema kable sugges ions. Mos o hese allusions occu in he inse ed ales and, he e o e, he mainly s udies hose o A is omenes, Thelyph on, he obbe s, and, o cou se, Cupid and Psyche. His conclusions con incingly demons a e ha Apuleius uses opog aphy as a me hod o in e ex ual allusion. Luca G a e ini begins his "Co in h, Rome, and A ica: a Cul u al Backg ound o he Tale o he Ass" by obse ing ha Apuleius changed d ama ically he geog aphy o Lucius's s o y when adap ing he G eek o iginal: he main cha ac e comes om Co in h ins ead o Pa ae and his me amo phosis in o a human being akes place in Cench eae nea his na i e ci y, no in Thessalonike; and especially, while he a els in he Onos a e clea ly headed o he no h, he se ings in he La in ex a e comple ely unde ined be ween Hypa a (books i-iii) and Co in h (book x). The inal loca ion in Rome is also an Apuleian inno a ion. G a e ini's a icle deals wi h he easons o hese changes. A e a b ie su ey o easons p oposed o Co in h as he se ing o Lucius' con e sion, he poin s o he his o y o he ci y and chie ly i s amous des uc ion in 146 BC; hus, he ela ionship be ween he Roman Empi e and he Hellenic wo ld would p obably be he mos ob ious idea coming in o he mind o he La in o G eek public o Apuleius when eading abou his own. As o Rome, G a e ini a gues ha he Me amo phoses was no necessa ily w i en o a Roman audience6, and e en some conc e e e e ences o he ci y o Rome could be easily unde s ood by any lea ned eade in A ica o elsewhe e in he Empi e. He a gues con incingly o a "Romanocen ic" iew o he no el bu in a e y b oad sense, as a ex in ended no only o a Roman audience bu o any li e a e public h oughou he Empi e. By examining oads as an impo an elemen o space in Apuleius' no el, Maaike Zimme man a emp s o show in he pape ("On he Road in Apuleius Me amo phoses") B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 h p://bmc .b ynmaw .edu/2003/2003-10-01.h ml 2 de 5 22/10/2014 10:31 how he obse a ions o he na a o abou he oads he has o a el along a e meaning ul when ela ed o he emo ional s a es o he p o agonis . Following he cou se o Lucius's jou ney, Zimme man highligh s, o ins ance, he associa ion o 'slippe y oads' and he degene a e p ies s o Dea Sy ia. She inally sugges s, hough e y cau iously (p. 95), ha di icul oads ha e a possible symbolic alue as oads o i ue. I his is only en a i e, Z. does succeed in showing ' ha he mo al conno a ions a ached o he oads desc ip ions inc ease', especially om he nin h book onwa ds. He conclusions a e cau ious as hey a e a ac i e. A e some obse a ions abou he igu e o he absen mo he in he omance o Apollonius, S elios Panayo akis ("The Temple and he B o hel: Mo he s and Daugh e s in Apollonius o Ty e") discusses he 'con as ing bu iden ical' (p. 104) ad en u es o Apollonius' wi e and hei daugh e , who en e he emple o Diana in Ephesus and he b o hel o P iapus in My ilene espec i ely: bo h keep hei chas i y and pu i y, and he young woman e ains he i gini y un il she is ound by he own a he . As o he heme o he i gin kidnapped and sold o a pimp, Panayo akis examines i s possible li e a y sou ces and p oposes as i s o igin he P os i u e- u ned-P ies ess igu e, exploi ed in a declama ion by Seneca he Elde : his cha ac e will eappea also in he Ac s o Ch is ian Ma y s, no ably in he accoun o Sain Agnes' ma y dom. I is inally a gued ha he e olu ion o Apollonius' wi e om mo he o p ies ess may be in luenced by he idea o a Vi gin Mo he like he Ch is ian Vi gin Ma y. Though his is no wholly conclusi e, he e a e many emp ing sugges ions in P.'s in e p e a ion o he way mo he and daugh e ans o m hemsel es and he loca ions hey occupy. In "Social Geog aphy in he Apoc yphal Ac s o he Apos les", Judi h Pe kins exposes how some spaces o he pagan wo ld, like he bed ooms o women o , abo e all, p isons, a e ans o med by he i up ion o Ch is ians, who hus des oy social bounda ies and ejec he ju idical o de , " ea anging he spa ial bases o communi y" (p. 129). Michael Paschalis' "Reading Space: A Re-examina ion o Apuleian ekph asis" can be di ided in o a i s , gene al pa conce ning he concep o sophis ic ekph asis and a second, conc e e sec ion abou i s employmen in a amous piece o desc ip ion in Apuleius' Me amo phosis, Diana and Ac aeon in II.4. As o he beginning, he de ini ion o his idea agains he classical ekph asis (132-134), and he ixing o i s double ole as in e p e a ion and discu si e exposi ion o a wo k o a (p. 134) a e i ep oachable a gumen s. The analysis o he Apuleian ekph asis is also in e es ing, bu he inal sugges ion ha he pe son desc ibing he g oup is Lucius-auc o is somewha mo e p oblema ic, as is he applica ion o hese conclusions o o he desc ip ions in he no el which a e di e en enough om each o he o dese e indi idual ea men . Richa d P. Ma in ("A Good Place o Talk: Discou se and Topos in Achilles Ta ius and Philos a us") examines ini ially se e al landscapes in Leucippe and Clei ophon: he pain ing o Eu opa desc ibed by he i s na a o in 1.1.3; he amoenus g o e he en e s o hea he young man's s o y (1.2.3) -- a good place o alk; he ga den whe e Clei ophon mee s his belo ed and whose e o ic na u e is ema ked on page 151 (1.15.1-2); he accoun o palms alling in lo e each o he (1.17.3.5), and he beau y o Leucippe's ace ega ded as a lowe y meadow. Th ee mo e passages by di e se au ho s a e ci ed o de ine he ea u es o Achilles Ta ius' landscapes: he beginning o Longus' Daphnis and Chloe, which p o ides a con as in he ac ha i is a pain ed na a i e ha inspi es he s o y; he He oikos by Philos a us, an impo an ex acco ding o M. o ecognizing he allego ical igu e o he ga dene as he na a o and in e p e e o numinous landscape. Finally, a amous place, Phaed us 229b-230d, supplies bo h he adi ional pa allel o a locus amoenus ull o eligious and e o ic implica ion and he opposi e o he no el when Soc a es ejec s Phaed us' my hical in e p e a ion. B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 h p://bmc .b ynmaw .edu/2003/2003-10-01.h ml 3 de 5 22/10/2014 10:31 In "Space and Displacemen in Apuleius", Niall W. Sla e seeks o disce n a pa e n o pe sis en displacemen in he Golden Ass, illus a ing how A is omenes and Soc a es a e bo h displaced by hei ad en u es, as Thelyph on in book II. Geog aphical de ails in hese wo inse s o ies do no p o ide an accu a e idea o mo ion bu a sense o he subjec ion o cha ac e s o displacemen (p. 172). Since Lucius does no end his wande ing in his own ci y, Co in h, bu con inues his jou ney o Rome, he also ollows he pa e n o displacemen : he way his is o be elucida ed should be u nished by compa ison wi h he o me ales. S a os F angoulidis' "The Laugh e Fes i al as a Communi y In eg a ion Ri e in Apuleius' Me amo phoses" is basically chap e I.3 o his book Roles and Pe o mances in Apuleius' Me amo phoses.7 F angoulidis' aim is o disca d he in e p e a ion o his passage as a scapegoa i ual and p opose iewing i as an in eg a ion i e by which he communi y o Hypa a adop s Lucius as one o i s membe s. Ne e heless, he e uses he honou s he magis a es o e him and, hus, declines his inclusion in o he ci y. F's easoning agains he conside a ion o Lucius as a pha makos is ully c edible; I am no so su e abou his own p oposal, bu I am mos scep ical abou links be ween Laugh e Fes i al and his me amo phosis in o an ass (p. 187). E e y chap e ends wi h i s own bibliog aphy and he whole wo k has been comple ed wi h wo use ul, hough no exhaus i e, indices: an Index loco um and a Gene al index. The book i sel has been ca e ully p oduced and I ha e no iced only e y ew ypog aphical e o s.8 Since mos o he pape s assembled in his book conce n Apuleius' Me amo phoses, i will be e y use ul o hose in e es ed in his au ho : one can ind new pe spec i es and ideas abou he Golden Ass h oughou he whole wo k. Bu i could also a ac he a en ion o hose schola s gene ally in e es ed in he ancien no el: despi e di e ences in app oach and quali y among he pa s, he whole de ini ely dese es conside a ion. No es: 1. Excep ions a e he con ibu ions o Ca he ine Conno s and Judi h Pe kins ( ead in ICAN a G oningen July 25-30, 2000) and ha o S elios Panayo akis. 2. The second has jus aken place, on 19-20 May 2003: see i s summa y and a b ie epo by Ken Dowden in he websi e a Ancien Na a i e. I s publica ion will become he second supplemen um o AN. 3. Abou he ela ionship be ween na a i e and his o iog aphy and he use no elis s (especially Cha i on) make o His o y, see he bibliog aphy in Kos an's no e 14 (p. 10) and Conno s' no e 3 (p. 14). 4. Fo example, I ind i oo isky o base an iden i ica ion be ween wo cha ac e s (The on in 1.7.1 and Caesa in Plu . Caes. 32,5-6) on a p o e bial ph ase; he ques ions abou Pe sius a e eally p o oca i e, as Conno s he sel a i ms. 5. This is one o he main esea ch in e es s o P o esso Winkle , bu I am also hinking o Paula James's "Keeping Apuleius in he Pic u e. A Dialogue be ween Buñuel's Disc ee Cha m o he Bou geoisie and The Me amo phoses o Apuleius" (Ancien Na a i e 1, 2000-2001, 185-207). 6. His easoning agains Ken Dowden's "The Roman Audience o The Golden Ass" (in J. Ta um (ed.), The Sea ch o he Ancien No el, Bal imo e-London, 1994, 419-434) is qui e pe suasi e. 7. Published in S u ga : J. B. Me zle , 2001. F angoulidis no es (p. 187, n. 25) ha "an analysis o he Laugh e Fes i al om he G eimasian pe spec i e o Roles and B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 h p://bmc .b ynmaw .edu/2003/2003-10-01.h ml 4 de 5 22/10/2014 10:31 Pe o mances appea s in my ecen book". In my opinion, i would be mo e accu a e o say ha i is simply a p e ious e sion, because he aim, he a gumen s and many pa ag aphs o he chap e and he a icle a e he same; see, o ins ance, p. 51 and p. 178 espec i ely. 8. Some epea ed wo ds, o ins ance (see no e 9 on page 17), o li le slips like hose on p. 22, penul ima e line, o p. 121, line 11. Read La es Index o 2003 Change G eek Display A chi es Books A ailable o Re iew BMCR Home HTML gene a ed a 13:28:53, F iday, 03 Ap il 2009 B yn Maw Classical Re iew 2003.10.01 h p://bmc .b ynmaw .edu/2003/2003-10-01.h ml 5 de 5 22/10/2014 10:31