Month: August 2024

Plutarch, Life of Antony Chapters 4 and 24.6–7
Aug 19

Plutarch, Life of Antony Chapters 4 and 24.6–7

Plutarch, Life of Antony Chapters 4 and 24.6–7
By Noah Apter

Of all the classical historians on offer to us, what appeal does Plutarch have? What, if anything, causes him to stand out amongst the likes of Tacitus, Suetonius, Thucydides, Herodotus, and others? I believe the allure of Plutarch’s writing is that he captures the humanity and psychology of his subjects with greater depth than any of his contemporaries or those before him. There is no greater example of this than his writing on Mark Antony. Plutarch remarks on his jests and camaraderie with fellow soldiers, his great generosity, and (briefly) his efforts to deliver justice to those who were wronged…

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Echoes in the Forest: Fable Tradition and Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Phaedrus 1.12
Aug 5

Echoes in the Forest: Fable Tradition and Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Phaedrus 1.12

Echoes in the Forest: Fable Tradition and Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Phaedrus 1.12

By Alethea Lam

Phaedrus opens Book 1 of his fables with the phrase Aesopus auctor, anchoring his work in the animal fable tradition of the legendary Greek storyteller. With this phrase, the Latin poet credits Aesop as the pioneer of the genre itself as well as the original narrator of the fables he is about to retell (Phaedrus 1.1.1). Phaedrus’s poems exhibit the classic characteristics of animal fable, namely morals communicated in promythia and epimythia, instructive narratives to demonstrate these lessons, and recurring semi-anthropomorphized animal characters whose behavior reflects stereotypes of their species.

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