In the Temple of Daphnean Apollo: “Philostratus” in His Works
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Thomas A. Schmitz
Abstract
In the temple of Daphnean Apollo: “Philostratus” in his works. This paper analyzes the role of the author-persona in three of Philostratus’ works, the Life of Apollonius, Imagines, and Lives of the Sophists. It argues that this implied author shows signs of autofictional strategies: on the one hand, he shares a number of traits with the historical Philostratus (such as a connection with Lemnos and Athens, closeness to the imperial court, and rhetorical training and sophistic competence) that were familiar to many members of Philostratus’ readership. On the other hand, there are clear signposts of fictionality (especially in the Life of Apollonius) that alert readers to the fact that the author-persona must be different from the historical writer. The implied author thus appears to be an accurate historian and a novelist at the same time; a clear distinction between both aspects is impossible. This ambivalent, partially fictional approach to his own narrative is mirrored in the narrative framing of the Imagines. Theoretical approaches have shown that it is one of the defining characteristics of autofiction. Philostratus’ strategy of leaving his implied author’s status and reality in doubt can be understood as a distinctive trait of the culture of the Second Sophistic, in which role-playing and self-fashioning were tantamount. Like Lucian, Philostratus should be seen as an early example of autofictional discourse in the wider sense of the term.
Abstract
In the temple of Daphnean Apollo: “Philostratus” in his works. This paper analyzes the role of the author-persona in three of Philostratus’ works, the Life of Apollonius, Imagines, and Lives of the Sophists. It argues that this implied author shows signs of autofictional strategies: on the one hand, he shares a number of traits with the historical Philostratus (such as a connection with Lemnos and Athens, closeness to the imperial court, and rhetorical training and sophistic competence) that were familiar to many members of Philostratus’ readership. On the other hand, there are clear signposts of fictionality (especially in the Life of Apollonius) that alert readers to the fact that the author-persona must be different from the historical writer. The implied author thus appears to be an accurate historian and a novelist at the same time; a clear distinction between both aspects is impossible. This ambivalent, partially fictional approach to his own narrative is mirrored in the narrative framing of the Imagines. Theoretical approaches have shown that it is one of the defining characteristics of autofiction. Philostratus’ strategy of leaving his implied author’s status and reality in doubt can be understood as a distinctive trait of the culture of the Second Sophistic, in which role-playing and self-fashioning were tantamount. Like Lucian, Philostratus should be seen as an early example of autofictional discourse in the wider sense of the term.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Vorwort VII
- Inhalt IX
- Autofiktion(en) in der antiken Literatur 1
- Autofiktionen und Maskenspiele bei Kallimachos: eine Poetik der Irritation? 15
- Die römische Liebeselegie als autofiktionale Gattung? Überlegungen zu Chancen und Grenzen am Beispiel von Ovids Amores 31
- Ovidfiktionen: Zwischen Rom und Rumänien 53
- Apologien erotischer Dichtung und Autofiktion: Drei Fallstudien 73
- Zum Autofiktionsbegriff aus klassisch-philologischer Perspektive anhand von Ovids poetischer Autobiographie (trist. 4,10) – oder Autofiktion? 97
- Zur biographischen Modellierung des historiographischen Ichs bei Sallust, Livius und Tacitus 131
- Fortuna non mutat genus (Hor. epod. 4,6) 155
- Emicem liber: Text und (horazisches) Ich in Prudentius’ Praefatio 177
- In the Temple of Daphnean Apollo: “Philostratus” in His Works 193
- „Eines der ärgerlichsten Musterstücke verlogener Rhetorik“: Hieronymus’ Traum und die Begründung seiner Autorschaft 213
- Zu den Autorinnen und Autoren 241
- Index 243
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Vorwort VII
- Inhalt IX
- Autofiktion(en) in der antiken Literatur 1
- Autofiktionen und Maskenspiele bei Kallimachos: eine Poetik der Irritation? 15
- Die römische Liebeselegie als autofiktionale Gattung? Überlegungen zu Chancen und Grenzen am Beispiel von Ovids Amores 31
- Ovidfiktionen: Zwischen Rom und Rumänien 53
- Apologien erotischer Dichtung und Autofiktion: Drei Fallstudien 73
- Zum Autofiktionsbegriff aus klassisch-philologischer Perspektive anhand von Ovids poetischer Autobiographie (trist. 4,10) – oder Autofiktion? 97
- Zur biographischen Modellierung des historiographischen Ichs bei Sallust, Livius und Tacitus 131
- Fortuna non mutat genus (Hor. epod. 4,6) 155
- Emicem liber: Text und (horazisches) Ich in Prudentius’ Praefatio 177
- In the Temple of Daphnean Apollo: “Philostratus” in His Works 193
- „Eines der ärgerlichsten Musterstücke verlogener Rhetorik“: Hieronymus’ Traum und die Begründung seiner Autorschaft 213
- Zu den Autorinnen und Autoren 241
- Index 243
