The Anecdotal Narration and Encyclopedic Thought of Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781527548503)

Pliny the Elderâ (TM)s Naturalis Historia, with its varied content, enables and expects the reader to employ a complex interpretative technique. One aspect of Plinyâ (TM)s diction is that he often interrupts the discussions of topics with digressions and begins to address something that seemingly has nothing to do with the subject. The hypothesis suggested by this book is that these digressions that occur in different places and in great number throughout the text of Naturalis Historia should not be regarded as mistakes fragmenting the encyclopediaâ (TM)s structure.

Most of these digressions are anecdotes. Researching the aetiological anecdotes, and those about the life of animals, famous persons from political or intellectual life, and the most important Greek painters and sculptors requires the application of different perspectives. When we approach anecdotes from the perspective of narrative techniques, the role of the stories as exempla becomes clearer, and its further aspects can be spotted. This book also draws attention to Pliny the writer, an aspect of the text that has been contested until very recently.

Author: Ágnes Darab
ISBN-10: 1527548503
ISBN-13: 9781527548503
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Language: English
Published: 04/29/2020
Pages: 161
Format: Hardcover