Fiction as History: Nero to Julian (Sather Classical Lectures)

Sather Classical Lectures

by Glen W. Bowersock

Using pagan fiction produced in Greek and Latin during the early Christian era, G. W. Bowersock investigates the complex relationship between "historical" and "fictional" truths. This relationship preoccupied writers of the second century, a time when apparent fictions about both past and present were proliferating at an astonishing rate and history was being invented all over again. With force and eloquence, Bowersock illuminates social attitudes of this period and persuasively argues that its fiction was influenced by the emerging Christian Gospel narratives.

Enthralling in its breadth and enhanced by two erudite appendices, this is a book that will be warmly welcomed by historians and interpreters of literature.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1994. 

Genres: History

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 1995

About the author

Glen Warren Bowersock is a contemporary American scholar of the ancient world. He is the author of over a dozen books and has published over 300 articles on Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern history and culture as well as the classical tradition.

Reviews

[James R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work was good, and interesting for its purpose.

The Greek language used and ancient texts cited are prevalent, so this is likely too technical for non-experts (or at least those unfamiliar with Greek). The work would have been more applicable if the usefulness of the (impressive) research had been explained for a more general audience.

[Joel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somewhat disconnected essays. Not exciting. Not worth it.

[Mikael · Rating 4 out of 5]

i luv apocryphas hagiographies liars drug peddlers messiahs not really the messiahs i luv anything that wd make the new historicists lose their mind