Beyond the Second Sophistic

Adventures in Greek Postclassicism

By: Tim Whitmarsh

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Paperback | 5 May 2020 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
296 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.6

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The Second Sophistic traditionally refers to a period at the height of the Roman Empire's power that witnessed a flourishing of Greek rhetoric and oratory, and since the nineteenth century it has often been viewed as a defense of Hellenic civilization against the domination of Rome. This book proposes a very different model. Covering popular fiction, poetry, and Greco-Jewish material, it argues for a rich, dynamic, and diverse culture that cannot be reduced to a simple model of continuity. Shining new light on a series of playful, imaginative texts that are left out of the traditional accounts of Greek literature, Whitmarsh advances a more adventurous, exploratory approach to later Greek culture. Beyond the Second Sophistic offers not only a new way of looking at Greek literature from 300 BCE onward but also a challenge to the Eurocentric, aristocratic constructions placed on the Greek heritage. Accessible and lively, it will appeal to students and scholars of Greek literature and culture, Hellenistic Judaism, world literature, and cultural theory.

Industry Reviews

"Highly recommended." * CHOICE *
"Beyond the Second Sophistic is a quietly passionate and intellectually complex book...The world of late ancient Greek literature is a profoundly exciting and deceptive one, and there is no better guide to it working today than Tim Whitmarsh." -- Edith Hall * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
"This collection of essays is a treasure-house of insights, shaped within a sometimes polemical template which will surely shift the discourse and the future of scholarship on imperial Greek literature." -- Calum A. Maciver * Phoenix *
"Scholarly yet lucid. . . .This collection will be a treat to anyone seriously interested in the cultural and literary history of the ancient world and its reception." * The European Legacy *

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