Description
Book SynopsisExplores the ancient Greek literary critics and theorists who invented the idea of the poetic 'symbol'. This book notes that Aristotle and his followers did not discuss the use of poetic symbolism. It revisits the work of the great allegorists. It demonstrates how important symbolism became when they thought about religion and philosophy.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2007 Charles J. Goodwin Award of Merit "A rich and fascinating account of how the ideas of symbolism and allegorical reading developed over the course of classical antiquity. It is a remarkable achievement."--David Konstan, Literary Imagination "This book offers a remarkably comprehensive study of ancient symbolic interpretation from the Pre-Socratics to the later Neoplatonists and beyond."--Derek Collins, Classical World
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Introduction The Genealogy of the Symbolic 1 1 Symbols and Riddles: Allegorical Reading and the Boundaries of the Text 21 2 Beginnings to 300 b.c.e.: Meaning from the Void of Chance and the Silence of the Secret 77 3 From the Head of Zeus: The Birth of the Literary Symbol 111 4 Swallowed Children and Bound Gods: The Diffusion of the Literary Symbol 142 5 300 b.c.e.-200 c.e.: The Symbol as Ontological Signifier 162 6 Iamblichus and the Defense of Ritual: Talismanic Symbols 204 7 Moonstones and Men That Glow: Proclus and the Talismanic Signifier 227 Epilogue Symbol Traces: Post-Proclean Theories 254 Appendix Chrysippus's Reading and Authorial Intention: The Case of the Mural at Samos 279 Bibliography of Ancient Authors 283 Bibliography of Modern Authors 285 Index Locorum 297 General Index 311
