Space and Time in Ancient Greek Narrative

286 Pages·2010·1.37 MB·English

by  Alex C. Purves

SPACE AND TIME IN ANCIENT GREEK NARRATIVE
Inthiswide-rangingsurveyofancientGreeknarrativefromarchaicepicto
classical prose, Alex C. Purves shows how stories unfold in space as well as
in time. She traces a shift in authorial perspective, from a godlike overview
to the more focused outlook of human beings caught up in a developing
plot,inspiredbyadvancesincartography,travel,andgeometry.Heranalysis
of the temporal and spatial dimensions of ancient narrative leads to new
interpretations of important texts by Homer, Herodotus, and Xenophon,
amongothers,showingpreviouslyunnoticedconnectionsbetweenepicand
prose. Drawing on the methods of classical philology, narrative theory, and
cultural geography, Purves recovers a poetics of spatial representation that
liesatthecoreoftheGreeks’conceptionoftheirplots.
AlexC.PurvesisassistantprofessorofclassicsattheUniversityofCalifornia,
LosAngeles.

Space and Time in
Ancient Greek
Narrative
ALEX C. PURVES
UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles
cambridgeuniversitypress
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Firstpublished2010
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SpaceandtimeinancientGreeknarrative/AlexC.Purves.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-0-521-19098-5(hardback)
1.Geographyinliterature. 2.Spaceandtimeinliterature. 3.Greekliterature–History
andcriticism. I.Title.
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For Lionel and Orlando

Contents
Acknowledgments pageix
Introduction: The Perfect
Surveyor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. The Eusynoptic Iliad: Visualizing
Space and Movement in
the Poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2. Paths and Measures: Epic Space
and the Odyssey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3. The World in the Hand:
Anaximander, Pherecydes, and
the Invention of Cartography . . . 97
4. Map and Narrative: Herodotus’s
Histories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
5. Losing the Way Home:
Xenophon’s Anabasis . . . . . . . . . 159
6. Finding (Things at) Home:
Xenophon’s Oeconomicus . . . . . . .196
Bibliography 235
General Index 257
Index Locorum 269
vii

Acknowledgments
the ideas in this book first took shape in a dissertation written
intheDepartmentofClassicsattheUniversityofPennsylvania,anditis
a great pleasure to have the opportunity to thank the many people who
supportedandguidedmeduringmytimethere.Ioweanimmeasurable
debttotwopeopleatPenninparticular,theextentofwhoseinfluenceon
my thinking no map or catalogue could encompass. My advisor, Ralph
Rosen, has from the very beginning encouraged and inspired me. His
clarity, mental agility, and imaginative breadth have informed every step
ofthisproject,andarematchedonlybyhisfriendshipanddeepconcern
forhisstudents.NolessprofoundistheeffectthatSheilaMurnaghanhas
had on my work and my approach to Classical literature in general. My
discussions with her have always been about possibilities and openings,
aboutwhereideascangoandtheimportanceoffollowingthemthrough,
and her insights can be found everywhere in this book.
Thewritingofthisbookwassupportedbyasummerstipendfromthe
National Endowment for the Humanities, two UCLA Junior Faculty
Development Awards, and fellowships from the American Council of
Learned Societies and the Center for Hellenic Studies. I am extremely
gratefultotheseinstitutionsfortheirsupport.MyyearattheCenterfor
HellenicStudies,underthegenerousguidanceofGregoryNagy,wasan
invaluable experience.
MycolleaguesatUCLAhaveallprovidedcriticalsupportandencour-
agement in the writing of this book. I thank them all collectively and
wishtoacknowledgeinparticularAnnBergren,whoreadthebookinits
entirety in its early stages and brought to it her brilliant ability to think
about literature in terms of space; Shane Butler, who helped me see
the way out of a particularly difficult chapter with his characteristic
ix