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168 p. From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Very good and clean. Sehr gut und sauber. - There is no need in a book on Thucydides craftsmanship to argue that there exists in the style of the historian much that is artificial, contrived or, more generously, self-conscious. Rhetorical flourishes and poetic devices enhance what all recognize as singularly Thucydidean elements, namely asymmetrical antithesis, extreme economy and condensation of expression, and a fondness for abstraction and catchwords. Not all agree, however, that these mannerisms are deliberate and successful. The ranks of detractors and admirers stand equally divided. At the outset then I should say that it is my belief that it is all intentional, that the self-awareness is acute and the straining after artistic effect deliberate. But no statement of this sort, even one supported by an examination of the artistry or the artificial components, is enough to explain the enduring quality of the work. Nor does stylistic analysis alone explicate Thucydides understanding of any one historical phenomenon. But our own understanding of Thucydides themes or philosophy of history can be enhanced by or indeed generated through recognition of stylistic peculiarities. The eclectic evaluation needed to provide answers to at least some of the major questions in Thucydidean studies is scarce in the scholarship. Essays on Thucydides political or military philosophy or on how that philosophy is articulated by events tend to neglect stylistic and linguistic considerations. This is not to suggest, however, that all such papers should include stylistic analysis or that every comment on the content of the History must be accompanied by stylistic documentation of features in the narrative. Furthermore, it is enormously difficult to analyze a work from multiple dimensions; we cannot after all recreate the moment of the original composing. An author brings to any one study, in fact to any one page or sentence, many perspectives and considerations at one time: style, mood, content, external influences, purpose, intention, philosophical or universal messages, accuracy, truth, etc., all converge in the written word. A critic then can hardly reproduce these many facets in his own work which is necessarily far removed from the original. But were he successful in this undertaking he would have necessarily produced a text of the History identical to the first.1 I recognize and admit the difficulties, for I have undertaken to provide a comprehensive study of one theme, but examining its progression through the History from several stylistic and linguistic perspectives. The results are contained in these chapters. One of course does not offer a rounded study of a text as an idle exercise, although the prospect of approaching it from many angles at one time is itself engaging. Nor does one relish the idea of ending even an innovative procedure with a tautology: viz. I have looked at the text and it is as you see. I hope rather to demonstrate that the method is a good one, manageable, and capable of application to other authors, in fact any others. Secondly, and more importantly for Thucydidean studies, I intend to bring to light an aspect of Thucydides concept of power which has not been appreciated before, namely the part played by paraskeue. These two conclusions will, as the methodology implies, be accompanied by others. For example, from the linguistic and stylistic evidence it is clear that Thucydides manipulates the meanings of words and alters them to fit specific contexts. As a consequence, later occurrences of the words intentionally bring previous contexts to mind. Further, the stylistic and linguistic prominence accorded paraskeue throughout the text contributes to the ongoing argument for the literary unity of the History. ISBN 9780801838217 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 405 Ajp Monogra.
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