Vivienne J. Gray
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199563814
- eISBN:
- 9780191724954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563814.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This Introduction briefly outlines the book. This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of ...
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This Introduction briefly outlines the book. This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of great empires. Leadership is his main interest throughout his works and the examination of the methods he uses to portray leadership allows us to look into his general literary techniques. The main aim is to show that these techniques produce images of leaders that are rich in literary and conceptual interest and contribute to the literary theory of writing in prose. As part of this analysis, the book addresses readings that have found concealed criticism behind his apparently positive images of leadership in a majority of his works. These represent a dominant trend of literary criticism of Xenophon in our time and we can profit from engaging with them.Less
This Introduction briefly outlines the book. This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of great empires. Leadership is his main interest throughout his works and the examination of the methods he uses to portray leadership allows us to look into his general literary techniques. The main aim is to show that these techniques produce images of leaders that are rich in literary and conceptual interest and contribute to the literary theory of writing in prose. As part of this analysis, the book addresses readings that have found concealed criticism behind his apparently positive images of leadership in a majority of his works. These represent a dominant trend of literary criticism of Xenophon in our time and we can profit from engaging with them.
Stefan Tilg
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576944
- eISBN:
- 9780191722486
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576944.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter three investigates Chariton's relation to other early novels and novelists as far as date and authorship are concerned. On grounds of language, style, and apparent borrowings from Chariton, ...
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Chapter three investigates Chariton's relation to other early novels and novelists as far as date and authorship are concerned. On grounds of language, style, and apparent borrowings from Chariton, Xenophon of Ephesus’ Ephesiaca should be put later. The fragmentary novels Metiochus and Parthenope and Chione (the latter transmitted on a late‐antique papyrus) can be assigned to Chariton because of many parallels in plot, style, and motifs. Ninus is more likely to have been written by a different author, who nonetheless seems to have been Aphrodisian: for nowhere in the Graeco‐Roman world was Ninus as significant to the construction of civic identity as in Aphrodisias. Some remarkable correspondences between Ninus and contemporaneous events around Nero suggest a date of this novel after Chariton's Narratives about Callirhoe, in the second half of the 60's AD.Less
Chapter three investigates Chariton's relation to other early novels and novelists as far as date and authorship are concerned. On grounds of language, style, and apparent borrowings from Chariton, Xenophon of Ephesus’ Ephesiaca should be put later. The fragmentary novels Metiochus and Parthenope and Chione (the latter transmitted on a late‐antique papyrus) can be assigned to Chariton because of many parallels in plot, style, and motifs. Ninus is more likely to have been written by a different author, who nonetheless seems to have been Aphrodisian: for nowhere in the Graeco‐Roman world was Ninus as significant to the construction of civic identity as in Aphrodisias. Some remarkable correspondences between Ninus and contemporaneous events around Nero suggest a date of this novel after Chariton's Narratives about Callirhoe, in the second half of the 60's AD.
John Lombardini
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780520291034
- eISBN:
- 9780520964914
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291034.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
How was Socrates funny? Was he an ironist? Did he mock his interlocutors and, in doing so, show disdain for both them and the institutions of Athenian democracy? These questions were debated with ...
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How was Socrates funny? Was he an ironist? Did he mock his interlocutors and, in doing so, show disdain for both them and the institutions of Athenian democracy? These questions were debated with great seriousness by three generations of Greek writers and helped to define a primary strand of the Western tradition of political thought. This book reconstructs the debate between ancient Greek authors concerning the nature and purpose of Socratic humor. It compares the Socrates presented in Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic philosophical schools in order to demonstrate that humor was a key aspect of Socrates’s legacy in and after the classical period. It further shows how these ancient depictions of Socratic humor were shaped by the political context in which they were written and illustrates why Socratic intellectualism was thought to be dangerous to democratic authority. Practices of humor are connected with the operations of power; this book details how humor enabled Socrates to navigate relations of power between himself and his interlocutors. By attending to the politics of humor, these ancient writers explored the political implications of Socratic conversation in ways that shed new light on the relationships between humor, power, and democratic authority.Less
How was Socrates funny? Was he an ironist? Did he mock his interlocutors and, in doing so, show disdain for both them and the institutions of Athenian democracy? These questions were debated with great seriousness by three generations of Greek writers and helped to define a primary strand of the Western tradition of political thought. This book reconstructs the debate between ancient Greek authors concerning the nature and purpose of Socratic humor. It compares the Socrates presented in Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic philosophical schools in order to demonstrate that humor was a key aspect of Socrates’s legacy in and after the classical period. It further shows how these ancient depictions of Socratic humor were shaped by the political context in which they were written and illustrates why Socratic intellectualism was thought to be dangerous to democratic authority. Practices of humor are connected with the operations of power; this book details how humor enabled Socrates to navigate relations of power between himself and his interlocutors. By attending to the politics of humor, these ancient writers explored the political implications of Socratic conversation in ways that shed new light on the relationships between humor, power, and democratic authority.
W. S. Barrett
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203574
- eISBN:
- 9780191708183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203574.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses Pindar's thirteenth Olympian. The ode celebrates a double Olympic victory (stadion and pentathlon) won in 464 by a member of the Corinthian family of the Oligaithidai, ...
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This chapter discusses Pindar's thirteenth Olympian. The ode celebrates a double Olympic victory (stadion and pentathlon) won in 464 by a member of the Corinthian family of the Oligaithidai, Xenophon, son of Thessalos. The family had won enormous numbers of victories throughout the Greek world, and at the end of the ode (98-113) Pindar gives a summary catalogue: three at Olympia, six at Pytho, sixty at the Isthmos, sixty at Nemea, and others at a long list of venues from Marathon to Sicily. But this final catalogue is only the second in the ode: towards the beginning (29-46) Pindar has already listed (what are included in the totals of the final catalogue) the victories of Xenophon himself, of his father, and of other named persons who are evidently Xenophon's closer relatives.Less
This chapter discusses Pindar's thirteenth Olympian. The ode celebrates a double Olympic victory (stadion and pentathlon) won in 464 by a member of the Corinthian family of the Oligaithidai, Xenophon, son of Thessalos. The family had won enormous numbers of victories throughout the Greek world, and at the end of the ode (98-113) Pindar gives a summary catalogue: three at Olympia, six at Pytho, sixty at the Isthmos, sixty at Nemea, and others at a long list of venues from Marathon to Sicily. But this final catalogue is only the second in the ode: towards the beginning (29-46) Pindar has already listed (what are included in the totals of the final catalogue) the victories of Xenophon himself, of his father, and of other named persons who are evidently Xenophon's closer relatives.
Gunther Martin
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199560226
- eISBN:
- 9780191721427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199560226.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the evidence for religious references in deliberative oratory before the Athenian assembly; outside speeches on religious matters, such references are mainly found in times of ...
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This chapter examines the evidence for religious references in deliberative oratory before the Athenian assembly; outside speeches on religious matters, such references are mainly found in times of crisis. Demosthenes' practice is compared with the speeches in Thucydides and Xenophon; religious argumentation is prominent in his assembly speeches only as an appeal to use the god-sent opportunity, and only in a certain period, in the early 340s. This is interpreted as an attempt on Demosthenes' part to arouse attention to himself by the use of a particular motif; he thereby suggests to the Athenians that their city is in danger while they are inactive.Less
This chapter examines the evidence for religious references in deliberative oratory before the Athenian assembly; outside speeches on religious matters, such references are mainly found in times of crisis. Demosthenes' practice is compared with the speeches in Thucydides and Xenophon; religious argumentation is prominent in his assembly speeches only as an appeal to use the god-sent opportunity, and only in a certain period, in the early 340s. This is interpreted as an attempt on Demosthenes' part to arouse attention to himself by the use of a particular motif; he thereby suggests to the Athenians that their city is in danger while they are inactive.
Vincent Azoulay
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154596
- eISBN:
- 9781400851171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154596.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter considers the notion that Pericles' death marked the starting point of Athens's decadence. In The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides asserts that the death of Pericles was a turning point in ...
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This chapter considers the notion that Pericles' death marked the starting point of Athens's decadence. In The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides asserts that the death of Pericles was a turning point in the history of Athens. He describes Pericles' “reign” as a clear dividing line between a community led by a virtuous elite and a democratic city abandoned to the hands of kakoi—the despicable demagogues. The chapter first considers the claim that the death of Pericles opened the door to “demagogues” who led Athens to disaster, in contrast to the stratēgos who led the city to its greatest achievements. It then examines the argument of the Socratic authors—Plato, Xenophon, and Antisthenes—that Pericles was incapable of educating his contemporaries. It also discusses the relations between Pericles and democracy by drawing on Plato's analyses.Less
This chapter considers the notion that Pericles' death marked the starting point of Athens's decadence. In The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides asserts that the death of Pericles was a turning point in the history of Athens. He describes Pericles' “reign” as a clear dividing line between a community led by a virtuous elite and a democratic city abandoned to the hands of kakoi—the despicable demagogues. The chapter first considers the claim that the death of Pericles opened the door to “demagogues” who led Athens to disaster, in contrast to the stratēgos who led the city to its greatest achievements. It then examines the argument of the Socratic authors—Plato, Xenophon, and Antisthenes—that Pericles was incapable of educating his contemporaries. It also discusses the relations between Pericles and democracy by drawing on Plato's analyses.
Xenophon
Gregory A. McBrayer (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781501718496
- eISBN:
- 9781501718519
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501718496.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This volume contains new, literal translations of Xenophon’s eight shorter writings along with interpretive essays on each work: Hiero, or The Skilled Tyrant; Agesilaus; Regime of the Lacedaemonians; ...
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This volume contains new, literal translations of Xenophon’s eight shorter writings along with interpretive essays on each work: Hiero, or The Skilled Tyrant; Agesilaus; Regime of the Lacedaemonians; Regime of the Athenians; Ways and Means, or On Revenue; The Skilled Cavalry Commander; On Horsemanship; and The One Skilled at Hunting with Dogs. The Agesilaos is a eulogy of a Spartan king, and the Hiero, or the Skilled Tyrant recounts a searching dialogue between a poet and a tyrant. The Regime of the Lacedaemonians presents itself as a laudatory examination of what turns out to be an oligarchic regime of a certain type, while The Regime of the Athenians offers an unflattering picture of a democratic regime. Ways and Means, or On Revenues offers suggestions on how to improve the political economy of Athens’ troubled democracy. The other three works included here—The Skilled Cavalry Commander, On Horsemanship, and The One Skilled at Hunting with Dogs—treat skills that are appropriate for gentlemen. By bringing together Xenophon’s shorter writings, this volume aims to help all those interested in Xenophon understand better the core of his thought, political as well as philosophic.Less
This volume contains new, literal translations of Xenophon’s eight shorter writings along with interpretive essays on each work: Hiero, or The Skilled Tyrant; Agesilaus; Regime of the Lacedaemonians; Regime of the Athenians; Ways and Means, or On Revenue; The Skilled Cavalry Commander; On Horsemanship; and The One Skilled at Hunting with Dogs. The Agesilaos is a eulogy of a Spartan king, and the Hiero, or the Skilled Tyrant recounts a searching dialogue between a poet and a tyrant. The Regime of the Lacedaemonians presents itself as a laudatory examination of what turns out to be an oligarchic regime of a certain type, while The Regime of the Athenians offers an unflattering picture of a democratic regime. Ways and Means, or On Revenues offers suggestions on how to improve the political economy of Athens’ troubled democracy. The other three works included here—The Skilled Cavalry Commander, On Horsemanship, and The One Skilled at Hunting with Dogs—treat skills that are appropriate for gentlemen. By bringing together Xenophon’s shorter writings, this volume aims to help all those interested in Xenophon understand better the core of his thought, political as well as philosophic.
Emily Baragwanath
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199593262
- eISBN:
- 9780191752261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593262.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
Xenophon, when he turned to writing history, harked back to his predecessors — and above all to the pair who form the subject of this collection — in ways that signal his adherence to the ...
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Xenophon, when he turned to writing history, harked back to his predecessors — and above all to the pair who form the subject of this collection — in ways that signal his adherence to the historiographical tradition, even as he underscored the distinctiveness of his own approach and philosophy of history. This chapter begins with a brief overview of what Xenophon's self-declared emphases in Hellenica reveal of how he conceives of his role in the historiographical tradition. It then contends that his conception of this role informs key moments in the work, through an examination of how the speeches of Procles of Phlius (in an episode whose significance Xenophon's narrative underscores) contribute to Xenophon's construction of his historiographical persona.Less
Xenophon, when he turned to writing history, harked back to his predecessors — and above all to the pair who form the subject of this collection — in ways that signal his adherence to the historiographical tradition, even as he underscored the distinctiveness of his own approach and philosophy of history. This chapter begins with a brief overview of what Xenophon's self-declared emphases in Hellenica reveal of how he conceives of his role in the historiographical tradition. It then contends that his conception of this role informs key moments in the work, through an examination of how the speeches of Procles of Phlius (in an episode whose significance Xenophon's narrative underscores) contribute to Xenophon's construction of his historiographical persona.
Anna Marmodoro and Jonathan Hill (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199670567
- eISBN:
- 9780191758188
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199670567.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
What significance does the voice or projected persona in which a text is written have for our understanding of the meaning of that text? This volume explores the persona of the author in antiquity, ...
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What significance does the voice or projected persona in which a text is written have for our understanding of the meaning of that text? This volume explores the persona of the author in antiquity, from Homer to late antiquity, taking into account both Latin and Greek authors from a range of disciplines. It contains chapters on pseudepigraphy and fictional letters, as well as the use of texts as authoritative in philosophical schools, and the ancient ascription of authorship to works of art. The thirteen essays are divided into two main sections, the first of which focusses on the diverse forms of writing adopted by various ancient authors, and the different ways these forms were used to present and project an authorial voice. The second part of the volume considers questions regarding authority and ascription in relation to the authorial voice. In particular, the volume looks at how later readers—and authors of later texts—may understand the authority of a text's author or supposed author.Less
What significance does the voice or projected persona in which a text is written have for our understanding of the meaning of that text? This volume explores the persona of the author in antiquity, from Homer to late antiquity, taking into account both Latin and Greek authors from a range of disciplines. It contains chapters on pseudepigraphy and fictional letters, as well as the use of texts as authoritative in philosophical schools, and the ancient ascription of authorship to works of art. The thirteen essays are divided into two main sections, the first of which focusses on the diverse forms of writing adopted by various ancient authors, and the different ways these forms were used to present and project an authorial voice. The second part of the volume considers questions regarding authority and ascription in relation to the authorial voice. In particular, the volume looks at how later readers—and authors of later texts—may understand the authority of a text's author or supposed author.
Lisa Irene Hau
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474411073
- eISBN:
- 9781474422048
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474411073.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it ...
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This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it offers a thorough analysis of the moralising techniques and moral-didactic lessons of Polybius and Diodorus Siculus and then analyses the fragments of a range of less well-preserved Hellenistic works of historiography (Timaeus, Phylarchus, Duris, Hieronymus, Agatharchides, and Posidonius) to see how far it is possible to trace similar techniques and lessons in these works. In Part II, the roots of Hellenistic historiographical moralising are traced in the Classical works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and the fragments of the Oxyrhynchus Historian, Ephorus, and Theopompus. The book concludes that the Greek genre of historiography was moral-didactic from its inception, like most of the Classical Greek literary genres, and that this purpose became explicit and its techniques formalised in Hellenistic times, but that neither the writers nor the readers of the genre believed this moral-didactic purpose to be detrimental to the truth-value of historiography. Ancient historiography was history writing with an agenda: it was Moral History (in the same way that some modern historiography can be defined as, say, Feminist History or Postcolonial History), but it was still History.Less
This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it offers a thorough analysis of the moralising techniques and moral-didactic lessons of Polybius and Diodorus Siculus and then analyses the fragments of a range of less well-preserved Hellenistic works of historiography (Timaeus, Phylarchus, Duris, Hieronymus, Agatharchides, and Posidonius) to see how far it is possible to trace similar techniques and lessons in these works. In Part II, the roots of Hellenistic historiographical moralising are traced in the Classical works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and the fragments of the Oxyrhynchus Historian, Ephorus, and Theopompus. The book concludes that the Greek genre of historiography was moral-didactic from its inception, like most of the Classical Greek literary genres, and that this purpose became explicit and its techniques formalised in Hellenistic times, but that neither the writers nor the readers of the genre believed this moral-didactic purpose to be detrimental to the truth-value of historiography. Ancient historiography was history writing with an agenda: it was Moral History (in the same way that some modern historiography can be defined as, say, Feminist History or Postcolonial History), but it was still History.
Thomas L. Pangle
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226516899
- eISBN:
- 9780226516929
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226516929.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This is the first book length study in English of the philosophic teaching of Xenophon's masterwork, showing the Memorabilia to be an essential, if deeply defensive, guide to understanding the ...
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This is the first book length study in English of the philosophic teaching of Xenophon's masterwork, showing the Memorabilia to be an essential, if deeply defensive, guide to understanding the Socratic way of life in its fulfillment of the virtue of justice. The shorter first part of the book analyzes Xenophon's highly ironic defense of Socrates against the charges of criminal injustice upon which he was convicted and executed (not believing in the city's gods, and corrupting the young). The longer second part analyzes Xenophon's more elaborately playful account of how Socrates as the citizen-philosopher was positively just, in the sense of helping, in multifarious ways, a wide range of people— citizens and foreigners, friends and enemies, young and old, male and female—even as, and precisely because, Socrates as the founder of political philosophy never ceased raising and pursuing in dialogue answers to the questions: “What is piety, what is impiety?”; “What is noble, what is shameful?”; “What is just, what is unjust?”; “What is moderation, what is madness?”; “What is courage, what is cowardice?”; “What is a city; what is a statesman; what is rule of human beings; what is a skilled ruler of human beings?”Less
This is the first book length study in English of the philosophic teaching of Xenophon's masterwork, showing the Memorabilia to be an essential, if deeply defensive, guide to understanding the Socratic way of life in its fulfillment of the virtue of justice. The shorter first part of the book analyzes Xenophon's highly ironic defense of Socrates against the charges of criminal injustice upon which he was convicted and executed (not believing in the city's gods, and corrupting the young). The longer second part analyzes Xenophon's more elaborately playful account of how Socrates as the citizen-philosopher was positively just, in the sense of helping, in multifarious ways, a wide range of people— citizens and foreigners, friends and enemies, young and old, male and female—even as, and precisely because, Socrates as the founder of political philosophy never ceased raising and pursuing in dialogue answers to the questions: “What is piety, what is impiety?”; “What is noble, what is shameful?”; “What is just, what is unjust?”; “What is moderation, what is madness?”; “What is courage, what is cowardice?”; “What is a city; what is a statesman; what is rule of human beings; what is a skilled ruler of human beings?”
Leo Strauss, Victor Gourevitch, and Michael S. f
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226030135
- eISBN:
- 9780226033525
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226033525.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
On Tyranny is Leo Strauss' classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue Hiero, or Tyrannicus, in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising ...
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On Tyranny is Leo Strauss' classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue Hiero, or Tyrannicus, in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. Included are a translation of the dialogue from its original Greek, a critique of Strauss' commentary by the French philosopher Alexandre Kojève, and the complete correspondence between the two. This revised and expanded edition introduces important corrections throughout and expands Strauss' restatement of his position in light of Kojève's commentary to bring it into conformity with the text as it was originally published in France.Less
On Tyranny is Leo Strauss' classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue Hiero, or Tyrannicus, in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. Included are a translation of the dialogue from its original Greek, a critique of Strauss' commentary by the French philosopher Alexandre Kojève, and the complete correspondence between the two. This revised and expanded edition introduces important corrections throughout and expands Strauss' restatement of his position in light of Kojève's commentary to bring it into conformity with the text as it was originally published in France.
Todd W. Reeser
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226307008
- eISBN:
- 9780226307145
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226307145.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature
Because medicine was central to the reception of Platonic sexuality and because a change in place implied a consequent change in cultural humors, questions of space and cultural customs are relevant ...
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Because medicine was central to the reception of Platonic sexuality and because a change in place implied a consequent change in cultural humors, questions of space and cultural customs are relevant to how same-sex sexuality was read in or out. Greek pederasty could be understood as a manifestation of a delineated cultural character or humour, and by extension other cultures, with their own distinct humours, may not be susceptible to, or capable of, the institution of pederasty. This chapter focuses on relations between space, place, and Platonic sexuality. If medical discourse allowed for this possibility to be imagined, to what extent do Renaissance Platonists imagine that pederasty can be contained in Greece, or in Florence, a city famous for sodomy? This chapter analyzes the only major discussion of space and Plato from the period, Janus Cornarius’s Latin translation of the Symposium. Clearly anxious about pederasty and ancient Greek “customs,” Cornarius includes a lengthy introduction to his translation of Plato’s Symposium in which he considers pederasty culturally impossible in a German cultural context. In the same way that the institution of pederasty cannot be imported into a German context, problematic homoerotic terms or concepts cannot be semantically imported into his spatially-coded text.Less
Because medicine was central to the reception of Platonic sexuality and because a change in place implied a consequent change in cultural humors, questions of space and cultural customs are relevant to how same-sex sexuality was read in or out. Greek pederasty could be understood as a manifestation of a delineated cultural character or humour, and by extension other cultures, with their own distinct humours, may not be susceptible to, or capable of, the institution of pederasty. This chapter focuses on relations between space, place, and Platonic sexuality. If medical discourse allowed for this possibility to be imagined, to what extent do Renaissance Platonists imagine that pederasty can be contained in Greece, or in Florence, a city famous for sodomy? This chapter analyzes the only major discussion of space and Plato from the period, Janus Cornarius’s Latin translation of the Symposium. Clearly anxious about pederasty and ancient Greek “customs,” Cornarius includes a lengthy introduction to his translation of Plato’s Symposium in which he considers pederasty culturally impossible in a German cultural context. In the same way that the institution of pederasty cannot be imported into a German context, problematic homoerotic terms or concepts cannot be semantically imported into his spatially-coded text.
Jeffrey Beneker
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695904
- eISBN:
- 9780191741319
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695904.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This book explores the intersection of passion and politics in Plutarch's Lives, with special emphasis on how Plutarch represents the influence of erōs (erotic desire) on the careers of his ...
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This book explores the intersection of passion and politics in Plutarch's Lives, with special emphasis on how Plutarch represents the influence of erōs (erotic desire) on the careers of his biographical subjects. The book first explains how Plutarch combines Aristotle's notion of friendship with Plato's conception of the soul to describe the ideal marriage, and heterosexual relationships in general, as based on a mutual love of character (philia) supported by an enduring erotic attraction. Then it examines how Plutarch applied his system of moral virtue to his reading of history in order to create historical-ethical reconstructions of past events. In a reading of the Alexander–Caesar, the book argues that Plutarch draws upon Xenophon's Cyropaedia to depict Alexander as a king who exhibits self-restraint in response to basic appetites, especially erotic desire, and that Plutarch applies the same model to Caesar, despite his reputation for sexual extravagance. In the Demetrius–Antony, Plutarch demonstrates the same principle from the opposite perspective, representing both men as unwilling or unable to exercise self-restraint. In the case of Antony, erōs is the primary cause of his political failure and his death. Plutarch's approach to the Agesilaus–Pompey defines a middle ground between absolute self-restraint and erotic license, exploring how the heroes allowed erotic involvement in their personal lives to influence their public actions. The book connects Plutarch's political thought to precedents from Classical authors to show how he uses the narration of his subjects' private erotic affairs to explain their success and failure in war and politics.Less
This book explores the intersection of passion and politics in Plutarch's Lives, with special emphasis on how Plutarch represents the influence of erōs (erotic desire) on the careers of his biographical subjects. The book first explains how Plutarch combines Aristotle's notion of friendship with Plato's conception of the soul to describe the ideal marriage, and heterosexual relationships in general, as based on a mutual love of character (philia) supported by an enduring erotic attraction. Then it examines how Plutarch applied his system of moral virtue to his reading of history in order to create historical-ethical reconstructions of past events. In a reading of the Alexander–Caesar, the book argues that Plutarch draws upon Xenophon's Cyropaedia to depict Alexander as a king who exhibits self-restraint in response to basic appetites, especially erotic desire, and that Plutarch applies the same model to Caesar, despite his reputation for sexual extravagance. In the Demetrius–Antony, Plutarch demonstrates the same principle from the opposite perspective, representing both men as unwilling or unable to exercise self-restraint. In the case of Antony, erōs is the primary cause of his political failure and his death. Plutarch's approach to the Agesilaus–Pompey defines a middle ground between absolute self-restraint and erotic license, exploring how the heroes allowed erotic involvement in their personal lives to influence their public actions. The book connects Plutarch's political thought to precedents from Classical authors to show how he uses the narration of his subjects' private erotic affairs to explain their success and failure in war and politics.
Jeffrey Beneker
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695904
- eISBN:
- 9780191741319
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695904.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter examines the Alexander–Caesar, and in particular Plutarch's interpretation of Alexander's victory over the Persian king Darius III and Julius Caesar's victory over his Roman political ...
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This chapter examines the Alexander–Caesar, and in particular Plutarch's interpretation of Alexander's victory over the Persian king Darius III and Julius Caesar's victory over his Roman political rivals, especially Pompey. It argues that Plutarch equates self-control with kingly behaviour and that, in general, he assumes that successful leadership in war and in politics depends on ethical behaviour. It demonstrates that Plutarch has adopted Xenophon's depiction of Cyrus I from the Cyropaedia as a model for his moderate, kingly, and victorious Alexander. The chapter further demonstrates how Plutarch connects Alexander's less successful later years with a corresponding lapse in resistance to luxury and sexual activity. Turning to the Caesar, it concludes by arguing that Plutarch has also applied the example of a moderate Alexander to Caesar, despite Caesar's well-established reputation for sexual extravagance.Less
This chapter examines the Alexander–Caesar, and in particular Plutarch's interpretation of Alexander's victory over the Persian king Darius III and Julius Caesar's victory over his Roman political rivals, especially Pompey. It argues that Plutarch equates self-control with kingly behaviour and that, in general, he assumes that successful leadership in war and in politics depends on ethical behaviour. It demonstrates that Plutarch has adopted Xenophon's depiction of Cyrus I from the Cyropaedia as a model for his moderate, kingly, and victorious Alexander. The chapter further demonstrates how Plutarch connects Alexander's less successful later years with a corresponding lapse in resistance to luxury and sexual activity. Turning to the Caesar, it concludes by arguing that Plutarch has also applied the example of a moderate Alexander to Caesar, despite Caesar's well-established reputation for sexual extravagance.
Jeffrey Beneker
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695904
- eISBN:
- 9780191741319
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695904.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter first considers the philosophical background to Plutarch's representation of erōs, enkrateia (self-control), and sōphrosynē (temperance). It examines Xenophon's Memorabilia to uncover ...
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This chapter first considers the philosophical background to Plutarch's representation of erōs, enkrateia (self-control), and sōphrosynē (temperance). It examines Xenophon's Memorabilia to uncover ethical terminology that is more general than what Plutarch set forth in On Moral Virtue (as examined in chapter 1), showing how Plutarch relied both upon technical definitions of self-control, based on Plato and Aristotle, and upon more conventional notions, similar to those espoused by Xenophon. The chapter then considers the political dimension to self-control, establishing that Plutarch shared the generally held belief that one's personal conduct, including restraint of erōs, was perceived to be indicative of how well one would perform as a military or political leader. The chapter concludes with an examination of the Agesilaus–Pompey, arguing that these heroes represent a middle ground, both ethically and politically, between the extreme self-control described in the Alexander–Caesarand the overwhelming passion found in the Demetrius–Antony.Less
This chapter first considers the philosophical background to Plutarch's representation of erōs, enkrateia (self-control), and sōphrosynē (temperance). It examines Xenophon's Memorabilia to uncover ethical terminology that is more general than what Plutarch set forth in On Moral Virtue (as examined in chapter 1), showing how Plutarch relied both upon technical definitions of self-control, based on Plato and Aristotle, and upon more conventional notions, similar to those espoused by Xenophon. The chapter then considers the political dimension to self-control, establishing that Plutarch shared the generally held belief that one's personal conduct, including restraint of erōs, was perceived to be indicative of how well one would perform as a military or political leader. The chapter concludes with an examination of the Agesilaus–Pompey, arguing that these heroes represent a middle ground, both ethically and politically, between the extreme self-control described in the Alexander–Caesarand the overwhelming passion found in the Demetrius–Antony.
Vivienne J. Gray
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199563814
- eISBN:
- 9780191724954
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563814.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of great empires. Leadership is his main ...
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This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of great empires. Leadership is his main interest throughout his works, and the examination of the methods he uses to portray leadership gives us an insight into his general literary techniques. The main aim is to show that these techniques produce images of leaders that are rich in literary and conceptual interest and contribute to the literary theory of writing in prose. As part of this analysis, the book addresses readings that have found concealed criticism behind his apparently positive images of leadership in a majority of his works. These represent a dominant trend of literary criticism of Xenophon in our time and we can profit from engaging with them. They can be called ‘ironical’ or ‘subversive’ or ‘darker’ readings and they reflect the preoccupation of the modern world with irony. They reveal the democratic suspicion of leaders that is reflected in modern management theory, which finds leadership problematic because of its inherent drift to autocracy, but solves the dilemma by placing restrictions on the power of leaders, such as the need to secure assent from other members of the organization, and to give them self-determination, inclusiveness, equal participation and deliberation. Xenophon believed also that leaders were fundamental to the success of any organization, but he also knew the risk of the drift toward autocracy, and it will become clear in the course of the analysis that his theory placed restrictions on his leaders that are very like the ones mentioned above in connection with modern democratic management theory.Less
This book is about Xenophon's literary presentation of the leadership of individuals in their communities, from those of private households up to those of great empires. Leadership is his main interest throughout his works, and the examination of the methods he uses to portray leadership gives us an insight into his general literary techniques. The main aim is to show that these techniques produce images of leaders that are rich in literary and conceptual interest and contribute to the literary theory of writing in prose. As part of this analysis, the book addresses readings that have found concealed criticism behind his apparently positive images of leadership in a majority of his works. These represent a dominant trend of literary criticism of Xenophon in our time and we can profit from engaging with them. They can be called ‘ironical’ or ‘subversive’ or ‘darker’ readings and they reflect the preoccupation of the modern world with irony. They reveal the democratic suspicion of leaders that is reflected in modern management theory, which finds leadership problematic because of its inherent drift to autocracy, but solves the dilemma by placing restrictions on the power of leaders, such as the need to secure assent from other members of the organization, and to give them self-determination, inclusiveness, equal participation and deliberation. Xenophon believed also that leaders were fundamental to the success of any organization, but he also knew the risk of the drift toward autocracy, and it will become clear in the course of the analysis that his theory placed restrictions on his leaders that are very like the ones mentioned above in connection with modern democratic management theory.
Vivienne J. Gray
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199563814
- eISBN:
- 9780191724954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563814.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter 1 introduces key concepts of Xenophon's theory of leadership, illustrating them mainly from the Socratic works. The second part surveys Xenophon's application of some of these key concepts ...
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Chapter 1 introduces key concepts of Xenophon's theory of leadership, illustrating them mainly from the Socratic works. The second part surveys Xenophon's application of some of these key concepts over the range of his narrative works and offers an ‘innocent’ reading of those works, and then previews a method of reading that arises from this survey and will inform the rest of the book. The third part traces the history of the darker readings of his images of power and demonstrates the challenges these pose to the earlier ‘innocent’ readings.Less
Chapter 1 introduces key concepts of Xenophon's theory of leadership, illustrating them mainly from the Socratic works. The second part surveys Xenophon's application of some of these key concepts over the range of his narrative works and offers an ‘innocent’ reading of those works, and then previews a method of reading that arises from this survey and will inform the rest of the book. The third part traces the history of the darker readings of his images of power and demonstrates the challenges these pose to the earlier ‘innocent’ readings.
Vivienne J. Gray
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199563814
- eISBN:
- 9780191724954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563814.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter 3 examines Xenophon's intertextual adaptations of previous literature to showcase his new values relating to leadership, in allegories and in deconstructions of Homer and Herodotus.
Chapter 3 examines Xenophon's intertextual adaptations of previous literature to showcase his new values relating to leadership, in allegories and in deconstructions of Homer and Herodotus.
Vivienne J. Gray
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199563814
- eISBN:
- 9780191724954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199563814.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter 5 investigates the methods behind darker readings of Cyropaedia, using the results of the previous investigations of formulaic scenes and the adaptations of his literary predecessors, and ...
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Chapter 5 investigates the methods behind darker readings of Cyropaedia, using the results of the previous investigations of formulaic scenes and the adaptations of his literary predecessors, and begins by reading the epilogue to that work as a patterned narrative of decline that creates a rhetorical argument designed to support the praise of Cyrus. This chapter then engages directly with ironical readings of significant passages from Cyropaedia and makes a case that Xenophon is not unaware of the complexities of leadership but gives no purchase for darker readings, that he set himself a challenge in turning a Persian king into an ideal leader against the historical realities of Persian kingship, but that this was a challenge he relished and needed to overcome to prove that his leadership theory explained the success not just of smaller communities but of the greatest empire the world had ever known.Less
Chapter 5 investigates the methods behind darker readings of Cyropaedia, using the results of the previous investigations of formulaic scenes and the adaptations of his literary predecessors, and begins by reading the epilogue to that work as a patterned narrative of decline that creates a rhetorical argument designed to support the praise of Cyrus. This chapter then engages directly with ironical readings of significant passages from Cyropaedia and makes a case that Xenophon is not unaware of the complexities of leadership but gives no purchase for darker readings, that he set himself a challenge in turning a Persian king into an ideal leader against the historical realities of Persian kingship, but that this was a challenge he relished and needed to overcome to prove that his leadership theory explained the success not just of smaller communities but of the greatest empire the world had ever known.
