Fiction As History: Nero to Julia.

XIII; 181 p. From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Small abrasions on the dustjacket. Otherwise good and clean. - Schutzumschlag leicht berieben. Sonst gut und sauber. - Using pagan prose fiction produced in Greek and Latin during the early Christian era, Bowersock investigates the complex relationship between “historical” and “fictional” truths. This relationship preoccupied writers of the second century, a time when apparent fictions about both past and present were proliferating at an astonishing rate and history was being invented all over again. With force and eloquence, Bowersock illuminates social attitudes of this period and persuasively argues that its fiction was influenced by the emerging Christian gospel narratives. While pagan and Christian themes are frequently interwoven here, what makes Bowersock’s book particularly effective is its concentration on secular literature and his reconstruction of the social contexts of certain literary motifs. Material from the pagan novels—less familiar to most readers—leads into the familiar Christian material, casting new light on the latter. ISBN 9780520088245