Emotions are at the core of much ancient literature, from Achilles’ heartfelt anger in Homer’s Iliad to the pangs of love of Virgil’s Dido. This volume applies a narratological approach to emotions in a wide range of texts and genres. It seeks to analyze ways in which emotions such as anger, fear, pity, joy, love and sadness are portrayed. Furthermore, using recent insights from affective narratology, it studies ways in which ancient narratives evoke emotions in their readers. The volume is dedicated to Irene de Jong for her groundbreaking research into the narratology of ancient literature.
Mathieu de Bakker (Ph.D. 2007, University of Amsterdam) is University Lecturer of Ancient Greek at the University of Amsterdam. He publishes on the Greek historians and orators and is co-author of The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek (Cambridge 2019).
Baukje van den Berg (Ph.D. 2016, University of Amsterdam) is currently Assistant Professor of Byzantine Studies at Central European University, Vienna. She has published on Byzantine scholarship and education and is completing a monograph on the Commentary on the Iliad by Eustathios of Thessalonike for OUP.
Jacqueline Klooster (Ph.D. 2009, University of Amsterdam) is an Assistant Professor of Greek at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. She publishes on Hellenistic Poetry (Poetry as Window and Mirror. Positioning the Poet in Hellenistic Poetry, Leiden / Boston 2011) and is co-editor of the Hellenistica Groningana series.
Contributors are Suzanne Adema, Rutger Allan, Mathieu de Bakker, Silvio Bär, Baukje van den Berg, Anton Bierl, Gerard Boter, Angus Bowie, Pieter van den Broek, Marina Coray, Bruno Currie, Kristoffel Demoen, Koen De Temmerman, Evert van Emde Boas, Patrick Finglass, Margalit Finkelberg, Sofia Frade, Piet Gerbrandy, Lidewij van Gils, Annette Harder, Stephen Harrison, Mark Heerink, Jan Willem van Henten, Luuk Huitink, Casper de Jonge, Geralda Jurriaans-Helle, Ahuvia Kahane, Robert Kirstein, Jacqueline Klooster, Hugo Koning, Martha Krieter, Caroline Kroon, André Lardinois, Françoise Létoublon, Michael Lloyd, Sebastiaan van der Mije, Kathryn A. Morgan, Ilse Müllner, Willie van Peer, Christopher Pelling, Edwin Rabbie, Albert Rijksbaron, Tim Rood, Richard Rutherford, Antonis Tsakmakis, Berenice Verhelst, Gerry Wakker, and Tim Whitmarsh.
Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors
Introduction: The Narratology of Emotions in Ancient Literature Mathieu de Bakker, Baukje van den Berg and Jacqueline Klooster
Part 1 Archaic Epic
1 A Narratology of the Emotions: Method, Temporality, and Anger in Homer’s Iliad Ahuvia Kahane
2 Narrative and Emotion in the Iliad: Andromache and Helen Angus Bowie
3 Fear and Loathing at the Xanthus Evert van Emde Boas
4 Metaleptic Apostrophe in Homer: Emotion and Immersion Rutger Allan
5 In Mortal Danger: The Emotions of Two Fighters in the Iliad Marina Coray and Martha Krieter
6 Poseidon’s Anger in the Odyssey Sebastiaan van der Mije
7 Emotions and Politeness in Homer’s Odyssey Robert Kirstein
8 Emotionally Reunited: Laertes and Odysseus in Odyssey 24 Bruno Currie
9 Love and Anger: Emotions in Hesiod Hugo Koning
Part 2 Archaic Epic and Beyond
10 The Text as Labyrinth Françoise Létoublon
11 Narrating Pity in Greek Epic, Lyric, Tragedy, and Beyond Patrick Finglass
12 Deixis in Teichoscopy as a Marker of Emotional Urgency Albert Rijksbaron
13 Exercises in Anger Management: From Achilles to Arginusae Christopher Pelling
14 Sunt lacrimae rerum: Emotions at the Deaths of Troilus, Priam, and Astyanax in Athenian Black-Figure Vase-Painting Geralda Jurriaans-Helle
15 What the Greeks Left Us: Perspectivation as a Tool in the Pursuit of (Emotional) Knowledge Willie van Peer
Part 3 Early Lyric, Tragedy, and Biblical Poetry
16 Passion versus Performance in Sappho Fragments 1 and 31 André Lardinois
17 Prometheus Bound as ‘Epic’ Tragedy and Its Narratology of Emotion Anton Bierl
18 Self-Description of Emotions in Ancient Greek Drama: A First Exploration Gerry Wakker
19 Retelling the War of Troy: Tragedy, Emotions, and Catharsis Sofia Frade
20 Body and Speech as the Site of Emotions in Biblical Narrative Ilse Müllner
Part 4 Greek Prose of the Classical Period
21 Herodotean Emotions: Some Aspects Richard Rutherford
22 Herodotus, Historian of Emotions Mathieu de Bakker
23 Emotions in Thucydides: Revisiting the Final Battle in Syracuse Harbour Tim Rood
24 The Dark Side of a Narrative: The Power of Emotions, Digressions and Historical Causes in Hellenica Oxyrhynchia Antonis Tsakmakis
25 Cyrus’ Tears: An Essay in Affective Narratology and Socratic History Luuk Huitink
26 The Joys and Sorrows of the Argument: Emotions and Emotional Involvement in Plato’s Narratives of Philosophical Reasoning Margalit Finkelberg
27 The Arousal of Interest in Plato’s Protagoras and Gorgias Michael Lloyd
28 Socratic Emotions Kathryn A. Morgan
Part 5 Hellenistic Literature
29 Heracles’ Emotions in Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica Silvio Bär
30 Away with ‘Angry Young Men’! Intertextuality as a Narratological Tool in the Quarrel Episodes in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius Annette Harder
31 Theocritus and the Poetics of Love Jacqueline Klooster
32 Characters, Emotions, and Enargeia in Second Maccabees Jan Willem van Henten
Part 6 Latin Literature
33 Common Ground and the Presentation of Emotions: Fright and Horror in Livy’s Historiography Lidewij van Gils and Caroline Kroon
34 Dramatic Narrative in Epic: Aeneas’ Eyewitness Account of the Fall of Troy in Virgil Aeneid 2 Stephen Harrison
35 Unhappy Dido, Queen of Carthage Suzanne Adema
36 Emotional Apostrophes in Silius Italicus’ Punica 6 Pieter van den Broek
37 Metalepsis on the Argo: Debating Hercules in Valerius Flaccus (Arg. 3.598–725) Mark Heerink
Part 7 Greek Prose of the Imperial Period
38 Emotion and the Sublime Casper de Jonge
39 The Role of Anger in Epictetus’ Philosophical Teaching Gerard Boter
40 Emotions and Narrativity in the Greek Romance Tim Whitmarsh
41 Another Tale of Anger, Honour, and Love: Achilles in Philostratus’ Heroicus Kristoffel Demoen
Part 8 Late Antiquity and Beyond
42 Claudian’s De raptu Proserpinae: Grief, Guilt, and Rage of a Bereaved Mother Piet Gerbrandy
43 A Desire (Not) to Die for: Narrating Emotions in Pseudo-Nilus’ Narrations Koen De Temmerman
44 From Myth to Image to Description: Emotions in the Ekphrasis Eikonos of Procopius of Gaza Berenice Verhelst
45 How to Write and Enjoy a Tale of Disaster: Eustathios of Thessalonike on Emotion and Style Baukje van den Berg
46 A Lawyer in Love: Hugo Grotius’ Erotopaegnia (1608) Edwin Rabbie
Publications of Irene de Jong (until 2021) Glossary Indices Tabula Gratulatoria
Students and specialists interested in ancient literature, narrative theory, literary history, comparative literature.