Sophrosyne and Pseudos: Performing the End of the Ancient Greek Novel Público
Martin, Carissa (Spring 2021)
Abstract
In this project, I explore how tests of sophrosyne create the false sense of closure necessary for ending two ancient Greek novels, Leucippe and Cleitophon and the Aithiopika. Through close reading at the narrative and metanarrative levels, I show that the tests of sophrosyne in the final book of each novel are spaces for performance which allow for the resolution of two problems: the difficulty of ending a polyphonic novel, and the anxiety about the hero/ine’s chastity created by the novels’ many threats. I question assumptions about the ‘happy’ and ‘simple’ endings of the ancient Greek novel by highlighting the drama, subtlety, deception – and thus the humanity – of these novels. In chapters one and two, I explore the main themes of theater, deception, and manipulation in the chastity test scenes of Leucippe and Cleitophon and the Aithiopika, respectively. Chapters three and four address the responses of the audience within the narrative to the hero/ine’s performances of sophrosyne, again in Leucippe and Cleitophon and the Aithiopika, respectively. The fifth and final chapter examines the role of the audience outside the narrative in creating closure for the novel. At every level, from the protagonists, to the internal audience, to the external audience, performances of sophrosyne are necessary for constructing and then reaching the ‘happy ending’ of each novel.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Love, Lies, and Literature.................................................................1
On Sophrosyne................................................................................................... 4
On Endings........................................................................................................ 6
On Chastity Tests............................................................................................... 9
The Road Ahead................................................................................................ 10
Chapter One: Pan, Performance, and Pseudoparthenoi......................................... 12
If There’s A Test for Virginity: Leucippe and Cleitophon and Sophrosyne............... 13
The Part that’s Really a Story: Cleitophon’s Test.................................................. 15
To Enter the Cave of the Syrinx: Leucippe’s Test.................................................. 19
Chapter Two: Braziers, Bluffing, and Brazenness.................................................. 28
A Beautiful Shroud: The Aithiopika and Sophrosyne............................................ 29
A Fine Reward: Charikleia’s Test......................................................................... 32
The Bull and the Ethiopian Champion: Theagenes’ Test....................................... 37
Chapter Three: Shouts, Silence, and Sensing the End .......................................... 45
Crowd Control: Cleitophon’s Sophrosyne........................................................... 46
A New Narrator: Leucippe’s Sophrosyne............................................................. 50
Chapter Four: Identity, Indulgence, and Interrogating the End............................. 55
Mis(Interpretation): Charikleia’s Sophrosyne...................................................... 55
Like Father, Like Daughter: Charikleia’s Identity................................................. 60
Necessity is the Mother of Deception: Charikleia and Theagenes’ Relationship..... 67
Chapter Five: Close, Closure, and Craft.............................................................. 78
Leucippe and Cleitophon: Encouraging Euphemia.............................................. 79
The Aithiopika: Celebrating Confusion.............................................................. 83
Conclusion: Making Provisional Sense............................................................... 90
Bibliography.................................................................................................... 94
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