Studies in Lucian's Comic Fiction

149 Pages·1976·2.398 MB·English

by  Graham Anderson

STUDIES IN LUCIAN'S
COMIC FICTION
MNEMOSYNE
BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BATAVA
COLLEGERUNT
W. DEN BOER • W. J. VERDENIUS • R. E. H. WESTENDORP BOERMA
BIBLIOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT
W. J. VERDENIUS, HOMERUSLAAN 53, ZEIST
SUPPLEMENTUM QUADRAGESIMUM TERTIUM
GRAHAM ANDERSON
STUDIES IN LUCIAN'S
COMIC FICTION
J.
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. BRILL MCMLXXVI
STUDIES IN LUCIAN'S
COMIC FICTION
BY
GRAHAM ANDERSON
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXVI
ISBN 90 04 04760 3
Copy,ighl 1976 by E. ], Brill, Leiden, Nelherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced ol'
translated in any form, by print, photop,int, mfrrofilm, mfr,off rhe
or any other means without wrillen permission from the publisher
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
To the memory of
Erwin Rohde and B. E. Perry

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ..... IX
I. V erae H istoriae I
A. Antonius Diogenes I
B. The Composition of Verae Historiae . 7
II. Toxaris and Philopseudes 12
A. Toxaris ... 12
B. Philopseudes . . . . 23
III. The Onos: The Greek Frame-Story . 34
A. Lucianic Themes 36
B. Structure 40
C. Humour 42
D. Style .. 42
E. The Two Greek Versions 44
F. The Source of the Ass-Romance? . 46
IV. The Onos: The Inserted Tales . . . 50
A. Some Questions of Method . . . 50
B. The Tale of Aristomenes (I.2-20) 54
C. Lucius and Pytheas (1.24 f.) . 55
D. The Tale of Diophanes (Il.14) . 56
E. Thelyphron (Il.18-30) . . . . . 57
F. The Risus-Festival (Il.31-Ill.18) 59
G. The Robbers' Tales (IV.8-22; VIl.6-8) 6I
H. The Tale of Charite (VIII.1-14); Varia. 63
I. Miscellaneous Tales of Adultery and Intrigue
(IX-X) . 64
J. Possibilities 66
V. De Dea Syria . 68
A. The 'Lucianic' Themes 69
B. 'Lucianic' Humour?. . 72
C. The Story of Kombabos (19-26) 78
D. The Account of the Rites (49-60) 81
VIII CONTENTS
VI. Points of Contact: Ideal Romance and its Fringes 83
A. Lucian and the Ideal Romance . 83
B. The Life of Apollonius 89
C. Dio's Euboicus . . . . . . . . 94
VII. Points of Contact: Comic Novel and Comic Tale? 99
A. Contacts with the Satyricon? 99
B. P Oxy. JOIO . . . • . • 106
C. Lucian and the M ilesiaca 108
VIII. Conclusion . 115
Select Bibliography 121
Index of Authors cited . 127
Index of Proper Names. 134
PREFACE
The ancient novel has received much attention from scholars. In
recent years the rather unconventional sophist Lucian has been
equally fortunate. But although Lucian lived in the boom of novel
writing and enjoyed rhetorical fiction, scholars have seldom at
tempted to relate a versatile author to an elusive genre. It is perhaps
unwise to mix the study of Lucian, rich in scholarly certainties,
with problems so treacherous that recantations may soon equal
original contributions. Certainly anyone who dabbles in the study
of the Onos can expect to pay the price for his curiositas. In general
Lucianic scholars have known better: Jacques Bompaire simply
dismisses the Greek novel as unworthy of Lucian's attention: any
overlap between the two must be incidental, since Lucian shared
the same rhetorical education as the novelists themselves. At the
same time Bompaire wisely avoided the Onos, on which much of
Lucian's involvement with the novel would depend. In scholarship
on the novel itself Lucian is equally liable to be dismissed: B. E.
Perry recognised his claim to the Onos, but tried to keep Lucian's
novels in a class by themselves, well outside the mainstream of
ancient fiction. Meanwhile Lucian's own reputation in other fields
has helped to divert attention both from the novels proper and
from his romantic tales. My aim in this study is to explore a number
of points of contact between Lucian and the traditions open to him,
with a view to throwing some light on both. First I have examined
the five major works of fiction attributed to him. Here I have
followed the approach in my Lucian: Theme and Variation in the
Second Sophistic, by reading each work in the context of Lucian's
literary techniques as well as tracing his alleged sources. This pro
cedure has been very sparingly applied in the past to the Onos and
de Dea Syria; it has been almost totally ignored by writers on
Toxaris, Philopseudes and Verae Historiae, so that Lucian's ability
to manipulate themes and motifs is often left out of account.
Secondly, I have considered some points of contact between Lucian's
repertoire as a whole and writers of Ideal and Comic Romance. He
is difficult to place in relation to almost any other writer, let alone
the development of the novel; but his work can be used to test
some of the many generalisations which have been offered. If the
X PREFACE
conclusions are often sceptical or uncommitted, there are some com
pensations in drawing Lucian and the novel closer together. In the
first place, he may well be the only ancient writer to have left us
more than one work in the genre. And among writers of fiction he
is certainly the author we know most about, because of the vast
bulk of writings which survived him: hence his scope and intentions
are much easier to understand than those of Petronius, Apuleius,
or perhaps even Longus. Moreover Lucian is indispensable to the
study of Antonius Diogenes; his name is entangled somehow or
other in the chaotic problems of the Ass-Romance; he must have
been aware of the Greek Ideal Romance even if he avoids its main
theme; he has a double connexion with Petronius, since he has
experience of Menippean Satire as well as Comic Romance; and a
number of other curious byeways in ancient fiction lead inexorably
to and from him. Each of these connexions entails quite separate
problems, some of them now well beyond any reasonable hope of
final solution; my object is to show that Lucian's contribution is a
far more important part of the evidence than has been recognised
hitherto, and that the role of literary plasma by highly versatile
sophists is still an important consideration in a field increasingly
given over to oriental mythologising. The study of Lucian does not
always break the deadlock; too often it shows us why an impasse
already reached is likely to remain an impasse for the foreseeable
future-and that is equally important.
It is now a century since Erwin Rohde's Griechische Roman set
scholarship on the ancient novel along a new path. Serious literary
study of the Onos began with Goldbacher just before (1872), that
of Lucian with Croiset just after (1882). Since then the three paths
have crossed only once-in the work of B. E. Perry, whose publi
cations on the Onos began at the half-century. Once more the ass
is at the cross-roads.
This work is intended as a sequel to Lucian: Theme and Variation
in the Second Sophistic. My thanks are due to Donald Russell, Ewen
Bowie, Malcolm Macleod and Bryan Reardon, all of whom have
read parts of this work at some stage and discussed the novel with
me. In a field where caution is rare I owe any I may retain to them.
I am also grateful to Peter Parsons, who encouraged me to make a
brief excursion into the no-man's land of the Greek Satyricon; and
to my wife, who supported and shared my fascination for Lucius.
University of Kent at Canterbury, GRAHAM ANDERSON
November 1975