Introduction: The Narratology of Emotions in Ancient Literature (original) (raw)
2022, Emotions and Narrative in Ancient Literature and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Irene de Jong
This introduction briefly sketches ancient and current approaches towards emotions and explains why it makes sense to apply narratological analysis to emotions as presented in the narratives of the ancient world. First, the introduction distinguishes between emotions on the level of narrators, focalizers, and characters. Next, it delves into cognitive and affective narratology, opening paths to explore the various ways in which narration may trigger emotion in the narratee, e.g. by immersion, empathy, or simulation.
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Emotions and Narrative in Ancient Literature and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Irene de Jong. (TOC)
2022
Emotions are at the core of much ancient literature, from Achilles’ heartfelt anger in Homer’s Iliad to the pangs of love of Virgil’s Dido. This volume applies a narratological approach to emotions in a wide range of texts and genres. It seeks to analyze ways in which emotions such as anger, fear, pity, joy, love and sadness are portrayed. Furthermore, using recent insights from affective narratology, it studies ways in which ancient narratives evoke emotions in their readers. The volume is dedicated to Irene de Jong for her groundbreaking research into the narratology of ancient literature.
The Paradox of Literary Emotion: An Ancient Greek Perspective and Some Modern Implications
Nuntius Antiquus, 2018
Fifth-century BCE Greek writers (e.g., Isocrates, Pseudo-Andocides) complain that the Athenians might have been more deeply moved by tragedies than by horrific contemporary events. My essay suggests that literary narratives could indeed produce this effect on us through several features. (1) The feeling of personal safety, threatened sometimes by our showing compassion to others (e.g. Euripides’ plays, Thucydides; modern refugee debates) remains intact when we engage in fiction. (2) The proximity to literary characters becomes enhanced by literary narratives (pro ommaton, focalization), in contrast to impersonal journalistic reports. (3) The universality ascribed to a literary piece (Aristotle’s Poetics) could contribute to our emotional immersion into the world of fiction to the detriment of the surrounding reality. While each section starts from ancient Greek authors, the essay will underline some similarities between the classical and the modern ways of engaging with literary nar...
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