Strategies of Ambiguity in Ancient Literature

Published by De Gruyter 2021

Strategies of Ambiguity in Ancient Literature

Edited by: Martin Vöhler , Therese Fuhrer and Stavros Frangoulidis

Volume 114 in the series Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110715811

Overview
Contents

About this book

Ambiguity in the sense of two or more possible meanings is considered to be a distinctive feature of modern art and literature. It characterizes the "open artwork" (Eco) and is generated by "disruptive tactics" (Wellershoff) and strategies to engender uncertainty. While ambiguity is seen as a "paradigm of modernity" (Bode), there is skepticism regarding its use in the pre-modern era. Older studies were dominated by the conviction that there was a lack of ambiguity in pre-modernity because, according to the rules of the "old rhetoric", ambiguity was seen as an avoidable error (vitium) and a violation of the dictate of clarity (perspicuitas).

The aim of the volume is to re-examine the putative "absence of ambiguity" in the pre-modern era. Is it not possible to find clear examples of deliberately employed (intended) ambiguity in antiquity? Are the oracles and riddles, the Palinode of Stesichoros and Socrates (Phaedrus), the dissoi logoi of rhetoric, the ambiguities of the tragedies all exceptions or do they not indicate a distinct interest in the artistic use of ambiguity?

The presentations of the conference, which will include scholars from various philologies, will combine a recourse to theoretical concepts of intended ambiguity with exemplary analyses from the field of pre-modern art and literature.

Author / Editor information

M. Vöhler and S. Frangoulidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; T. Fuhrer, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
List of Figures Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
Part I: Concepts and Aesthetics of Ambiguity
Modern and Ancient Concepts of Ambiguity Martin Vöhler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Aristotle on Ambiguity Pantelis Golitsis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Intended Ambiguity in Plato’s Phaedo Chloe Balla Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
The Ambiguity of the Unambiguous: Figures of Death in Late Medieval Literature Susanne Reichlin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
The Modern Perspective: Ambiguity, Artistic Self-Reference, and the Autonomy of Art Michael Lüthy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
Part II: Playing with Linguistic Ambiguity
Traversing No-Man’s Land Jenny Strauss Clay Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
The Ambiguity of Wisdom: Mētis in the Odyssey John T. Hamilton Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
Borges in Alexandria? Modes of Ambiguity in Hellenistic Poetry Evina Sistakou Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	101
Sympotic Sexuality: The Ambiguity of Seafood in Middle Comedy (Nausicrates fr. 1 K.-A.) Anna Lamari Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
Liber esto – Wordplay and Ambiguity in Petronius’ Satyrica Antje Wessels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Part III: Ambiguous Narratives
Half Heroes? Ambiguity in Ovid’s Metamorphoses Robert Kirstein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
Underneath the Arachnean and Minervan Veil of Ambiguity: Cultural and Political Simulatio in Ovidian Ecphrasis Stella Alekou Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	175
Ambigua Verba, Hidden Desire and Auctorial Intentionality in Some Ovidian Speeches (Met. 3.279−92; 7.810−23; 10.364−6, 440−1) Jacqueline Fabre-Serris Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
The Pleasures of Ambiguity: Aristomenes’ Tale of Socrates in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses Stavros Frangoulidis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
Legens. Ambiguity, Syllepsis and Allegory in Claudian’s De Raptu Proserpinae Marco Formisano Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
Part IV: Ambiguity as Argument
Between Conversion and Madness: Sophisticated Ambiguity in Lucian’s Nigrinus Irmgard Männlein-Robert Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237
Catullan Ambiguity Richard F. Thomas Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Prophetic, Poetic and Political Ambiguity in Vergil Eclogue 4 Stephen Harrison Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	273
Vitae aut vocis ambigua: Seneca the Younger and Ambiguity Janja Soldo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	285
Who speaks? – Ambiguity and Vagueness in the Design of Cicero’s Dialogue Speakers Lisa Cordes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	297
Unsettling Effects and Disconcertment — Strategies of Enacting Interpretations in Tacitusʼ Annals Therese Fuhrer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	315
The Latin Commentary Tradition on ‘Inclusive’ Intended Ambiguity Bram van der Velden Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	331
Part V: Ambiguous Receptions
Ambivalent Allegories: Giovan Battista Marino’s Adone (1623) between Censorship and Hermeneutic Freedom Florian Mehltretter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	351
Multipliers of Ambiguity: The Use of Quotations in Cavafy’s Poems Concerning the Emperor Julian Michalis Chryssanthopoulos Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	365
Seven Perspectives of Ambiguity and the Problem of Intentionality Joachim Knape Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	381
List of Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405
General Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	411
Index of Passages Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	417

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars and readers of Classics, Medieval Literature, Modern Greek Literature, Literary Criticism, History of Art
Pages
- Front matter: 9
- Main content: 422
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 2
- Coloured Illustrations: 12
Keywords: clarity (perspicuitas); disruptive tactics; intended ambiguity; open work of art (Eco)

eBook

Published: February 22, 2021
ISBN: 9783110715811

Hardcover

Published: February 22, 2021
ISBN: 9783110715415