Articles

Stoic Echoes and Style in Xenophon of Ephesus

Authors

  • Konstantin Doulamis

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Stoic echoes and style in Xenophon's Ephesiaca. The focus is on passages evoking Stoic ideas, which are correlated to the teaching of Stoic philosophers, particularly Epictetus. A close study of the structure and style of sections with a Stoic colour from the Ephesiaca brings out their subtle rhetorical character and shows a relatively high degree of artistic self-consciousness. Taking into account that Stoic philosophers advocate stylistic simplicity, this article suggests that there might be a link between the style and content of 'Stoic' passages in the Ephesiaca, and concludes by considering the implications that such a link might have for our understanding of Xenophon's literary persona and work.

Konstantin Doulamis is a Lecturer in Classics at University College Cork, Ireland. His research focuses on the Greek novels and his publications include 'Rhetoric and Irony in Chariton: a Case Study from Callirhoe', Ancient Narrative 1 (2001), 55-72, and 'Lost in Translation? George Moore's The Pastoral Loves of Daphnis and Chloe and rewriting Longus' in M. Pierse (ed.) (2006), George Moore: Artistic Visions and Literary Worlds (Cambridge Scholars Press), 86-101. He is currently developing his doctoral thesis into a monograph on rhetoric, style, and implied readership in Chariton and Xenophon of Ephesus.

Published

2007-12-31