The Hidden Author

by Conte, Gian Biagio; Fantham, Elaine

• ISBN13: 9780520207158
• ISBN10: 0520207157
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

The Satyricon of Petronius, a comic novel written in the first century A.D., is famous today primarily for its amazing banquet tale, "Trimalchio's Feast." But this episode is only one part of the larger picture of life during Nero's rule presented in the work. In this accessible discussion of Petronius's masterful use of parody, Gian Biagio Conte offers an interpretation of the Satyricon as a whole. He combines the scholarly precision of close reading with a significant, original theoretical model. At the heart of his interpretation, Conte reveals the technique of the "hidden author" that Petronius employs at the expense of his characters, in particular the teller of the story, Enclopius. By remaining hidden outside the narrative, Petronius invites the reader to smile at the folies de grandeurthat occur in a culture of scholars and declaimers. Yet as Conte shows, behind the parody and inexhaustible humor of the Satyricon lies an unexpectedly serious lament. For those familiar with the Satyricon, as well as for new readers, Conte's book will be a reliable, enjoyable guide to the wonders the Satyriconcontains.

Author Biography

Gian Biagio Conte is Professor of Latin Literature in the Department of Classical Philology at the University of Pisa, Italy.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Mythomaniac Narrator and the Hidden Author	p. 1
The Mythomaniac Narrator and the Longing for the Sublime	p. 37
The Deceptiveness of Myth	p. 73
Sex, Food, and Money: Low Themes versus High Scenarios	p. 104
The Quest for a Genre (or Chasing Will o' the Wisps?): Some Skeptical Thoughts on Menippean Satire	p. 140
Realism and Irony	p. 171
Abbreviations	p. 195
Bibliography	p. 201
General Index	p. 215
Index Locorum	p. 221
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