Description
Book SynopsisThis volume explores irony in its essence, saying other than one actually means in the collected works of Xenophon.
Xenophon's Other Voice argues that there are two voices in the author: one ostensible at the level of the literal text, which is available to everyone, while the sub-title designates the other voice, which is less obvious to the reader and indeed, an ironic one. It presents a unified view of the author's entire corpus and argues that the function of Xenophontic irony is to offer critiques of the societies in which he finds himself.Rejecting both non-ironic and Straussian interpretations of Xenophon''s writings, Yun Lee Too offers a wholly original perspective on the contemporary debate of how he should be read, which is underpinned by a series of incisive readings of the individual works. Beginning with Xenophon's representation of an ironic Socrates, who condemns the contemporary city and its more prominent citizens, the book moves on to consider how the author
Trade ReviewThis is a thought-provoking and original approach to Xenophon. It ranges across the whole of Xenophon’s corpus and with remarkable clarity and concision argues that scholars have missed a fundamental aspect of Xenophon’s work: their ironic takes on their subject matter. -- Timothy Duff, Professor of Classics, University of Reading, UK
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I. Socrates on Athens 1. Xenophon’s
Apology: The Death of Socratic Irony; the Birth of Xenophontic Irony 2. The
Memorabilia: Remembering Truth and Lies about Socrates 3. Partying Life (Away) in Xenophon’s
Symposium 4. The Economies of Pedagogy in the
Oeconomicus: Xenophon's Wifely Didactics
Part II. Xenophon on Athens 5. The Critique of the Sophists in
On Hunting 6. Xenophon on Equine Culture 7. Xenophon’s
Poroi or ‘Ways and Means’?
Part III. The Rest of Greece 8. Why Xenophon’s
Hiero Is Not a Socratic Dialogue 9. Spartan Dis-appointments 10. The
Hellenica and the Irony of War
Part IV. Persia 11. Xenophon’s
Cyropaedia: Disfiguring the Pedagogical State 12. Coming Home? The
Anabasis as Community Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index
