Part I General

The Coming of Age and Political Accommodation in the Greco-Roman Novels

Authors

  • Jean Alvares

Abstract

I consider how the novels of Apuleius, Longus andCharitonportray the protagonists, as they mature, coming to terms with socio-political realities, the nature of this necessary accommodation and how it is motivated. Apu­leius’ Lucius experiences the harsh realities of Greece under Roman rule, and abandons his homeland and culture for Isis worship and life and work at Rome; Chaireas and Callirhoe, coming from an ideal Syracuse, accommo­date themselves to and create an alternative to Persian imperial rule, while Daphnis and Chloe learn about the realities of their slave status and create a superior form of a slave-holding society. 

Jean Alvares is an associate professor in the Department of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University. He has published on Chaireas and Callirhoe and other Greco-Roman novels, and is currently working on a volume on ideal themes in the Greco-Roman novels.

Published

2007-06-01