The Novel in the Ancient World.

Brill, Leiden (...), 1996. X,876p. Original grey gilt titled cloth with dust wrps. Dust wrps a little bit wrinkled. Else fine. ?It is inevitable that (?) some readers may find some sections ?better? than others, but it should be stressed that all the chapters of this book have an important contribution to make, for they (almost always) are effectively structured, describe reliably what we currently know about a topic, highlight issues open to question, and offer a useful overall assessment of the subject in the form of either an interpretative essay of a concluding section. Especially welcome are the chapters on the ?Nachleben? of the Greek novel in France, Britain, Spain, and Portugal, and the maps at the end of the volume. (?) One of the most problematic issues related to the study of the ancient novel is the terminology used for it; a discussion, therefore, of the labels for the genre as a whole appropriately forms the subject of the first article in the volume. This is admirably done by Niklas Holzberg (?). Graham Anderson?s ?Popular and Sophisticated in the Ancient Novel? and Heinrich Kuch?s ?A Study on the Margin of the Ancient Novel: ?Barbarians? and Others? are two concise and forcefully argues papers which will certainly inspire other scholars to embark on a more thorough analysis of these important topics. (?) Characterisation is the theme of Allain Billault?s promising article (?). According to Billault, the heroes are not always alone on centre-stage in the narrative of a novel, but are accompanied by a wide range of people, some of whom play a decisive role for the protagonist?s future (?). In his lucid account of ?Mystery Religions, Aretalogy and the Ancient Novel? Roger Beck offers a balanced view of the well-known thesis that the ancient novel is a type of religious literature. (?) Antonio Scarcella?s ?The Social and Economic Structures of the Ancient Novels? is a thorough discussion of the social and economic hierarchy in each of the Greek novels. He gives helpful summaries of the five extant Greek novels, makes acute remarks on the power of the king, the middle class, the slaves, and the outcasts in the society presented in each novel. (?) It was a delight to read the contributions of Bryan Reardon on Chariton, Richard Hunter on Longus, John Morgan on Heliodorus, and Gareth Schmeling on Petronius. (?) S.J. Harrison?s essay on Apuleius admirably succeeds in giving in less than 25 pages (almost) all the relevant information on this intriguing author and his equally intriguing novel. (?) This is an important collection with many first-rate articles and a wealth of documentation.? (C. PANAYOTAKIS and M. ZIMMERMAN in Mnemosyne, 1999, pp.86-103).