The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Biography by Koen De Temmerman

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Biography by Koen De Temmerman

Biography is one of the most widespread literary genres worldwide. Biographies and autobiographies of actors, politicians, Nobel Prize winners, and other famous figures have never been more prominent in book shops and publishers' catalogues. This Handbook offers a wide-ranging, multi-authored survey on biography in Antiquity from its earliest representatives to Late Antiquity. It aims to be a broad introduction and a reference tool on the one hand, and to move significantly beyond the state-of-the-art on the other. To this end, it addresses conceptual questions about this sprawling genre, offers both in-depth readings of key texts and diachronic studies, and deals with the reception of ancient biography across multiple eras up to the present day. In addition, it takes a wide approach to the concept of ancient biography by examining biographical depictions in different textual and visual media (epigraphy, sculpture, architecture) and by providing outlines of biographical developments in ancient and late antique cultures other than Graeco-Roman. Highly accessible, this book aims at a broad audience ranging from specialists to newcomers in the field. Chapters provide English translations of ancient (and modern) terminology and citations. In addition, all individual chapters are concluded by a section containing suggestions for further reading on their specific topic.

This comprehensive volume offers an excellent background survey for all discussions of teh genre of the canonical Gospels and encourages a fresh appraisal of the often neglected late ancient Christian biographical tradition which, in all its variety has much to offer* C. Stenschke, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses *
This is a fine work and will be the standard point of reference on ancient 'biography' for decades. * John M. Rist, Augustiniana *

Koen De Temmerman is a Professor of Classics and European Literature at Ghent University, Belgium. He is the author of Crafting Characters: Heroes and Heroines in the Ancient Greek Novel (OUP 2014) and the co-editor of Writing Biography in Greece and Rome: Narrative Technique and Fictionalization (Cambridge 2016, with K. Demoen) and Characterization in Ancient Greek Literature (Leiden 2018, with E. van Emde Boas).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198703013
ISBN 10	0198703015
Title	The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Biography
Author	Koen De Temmerman
Series	Oxford Handbooks
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2020-12-10
Number of pages	800
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.