Romance, Revenge, And Pathos The Novellas of the Cyropaedia

The colourful, romantic episodes of the Cyropaedia—the stories of Panthea, Croesus, Gobryas, and Gadatas—are the subject of this chapter. These dramatic tales, often referred to as the novellas of the Cyropaedia, are highly compelling in themselves; they also raise interesting questions about Xenophon’s sources. Did he invent these stories? Rework them? Lift them whole from other sources? We shall first look briefly at the content and form of these tales in order to see just how unusual and colourful the stories of the Cyropaedia are. Next comes an investigation of possible sources or influences, and the final portion of the chapter is devoted to a detailed commentary on the individual tales.

Art · Literature · Novella · Pathos · Romance · Subject (documents) · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History