Lucian's science fiction novel, True histories : interpretation and commentary
This is the first substantial commentary on Lucian's fantastic journey narrative, the True Histories - the earliest surviving example of science fiction in the Western tradition. The Introduction situates the text in Lucian's oeuvre and offers a guide to its interpretation as allegory and parody.
Criticism, interpretation, etc
254 pages ; 25 cm.
9789004106673, 9004106677
38356089
Introduction. I. Truth and falsehood. Lucian
Dio and Celsus
II. Allegory and the journey for knowledge. Homer and the allegorical tradition
Numenius of Apamea
Journeys for knowledge
III. Parody and allusion. Poetry
Historiography and story-telling
Philosophy
IV. The Verae historiae, satire and science fiction
Commentary. A trip to the moon
Inside the whale
The land of the dead
Includes text in Ancient Greek