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The Ancient Aesthetics of Deception: The Ethics of Enchantment from Gorgias to Heliodorus

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Ancient Aesthetics of Deception: The Ethics of Enchantment from Gorgias to Heliodorus
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Jonas Grethlein
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:332
Dimensions(mm): Height 235,Width 158
Category/GenreLiterary theory
Literary studies - classical, early and medieval
ISBN/Barcode 9781316518816
ClassificationsDewey:880.09353
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 16 September 2021
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The concept of mimesis has dominated reflection on the nature and role, in Greek literature, of representation. Jonas Grethlein, in his ambitious new book, takes this reflection a step further. He argues that, beyond mimesis, there was an important but unacknowledged strand of reflection focused instead on the nuanced idea of apate (often translated into English as 'deceit'), oscillating between notions of 'deception' and 'aesthetic illusion'. Many authors from Gorgias and Plato to Philo, Plutarch and Clement of Alexandria used this key concept to entwine aesthetics with ethics. In creatively exploring the various reconfigurations of apate, and placing these in their socio-historical contexts, the book offers a bold new history of ancient aesthetics. It also explores the present significance of the aesthetics of deception, unlocking the potential of ancient reflection for current debates on the ethical dimension of representation. It will appeal to scholars in classics and literary theory alike.

Author Biography

Jonas Grethlein is Professor of Greek in the Seminar fur Klassische Philologie at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg. His publications include The Greeks and their Past: Poetry, Oratory and History in the Fifth Century BCE (Cambridge, 2010), Experience and Teleology in Ancient Historiography: Futures Past from Herodotus to Augustine (Cambridge, 2013) and Aesthetic Experience and Classical Antiquity: The Significance of Form in Narratives and Pictures (Cambridge, 2017).