In Search of the Sorcerer's Apprentice: The Traditional Tales of Lucian's Lover of Lies - Hardcover

Daniel Ogden

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 190512516X ISBN 13: 9781905125166

Publisher: Classical Press of Wales, 2007

Synopsis

In Search of the Sorcerer's Apprentice is the first book in English to be devoted to Lucian's Philopseudes or Lover of Lies (ca. 170s AD). It comprises an extensive discussion, with full translation, on this engaging and satirical Greek text with its ten tales of magic and ghosts. One of these is the famous story of The Sorcerer's Apprentice , and this conveys the flavour of the rest. In other tales a plague of snakes is blasted with a miraculous scorching breath, a woman is drawn to her admirer by an animated cupid doll, and a haunted house is cleansed of its monstrous ghost. The Philopseudes stands at the intersection of three of the liveliest fields in the study of antiquity: magic, traditional narratives, and the Lucianic oeuvre itself. Ogden's cross-fertilising expertise in all three of these fields enables him to build sophisticated analyses for each of the tales and to place them sensitively in their historical, cultural and literary contexts. Among the themes of the work are Lucian's methods of adapting motifs from traditional narratives, and the text's overlooked Cynic voice.

About this title

About the Author:

Daniel Ogden is Professor of Ancient History in the University of Exeter. His books include Greek and Roman Necromancy (Princeton UP, 2001), Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds (OUP USA, 2002), Aristomenes of Messene (CPW, 2004) and (ed.) A Companion to Greek Religion (Blackwell, 2007).

Review:

...the study fills a gap in the literature on Lucian and on ancient traditional narratives.[...]Overall Ogdens survey and evaluation of the scholarship on Philopseudes is careful, detailed, clearly set out, and backed up with generous reference to the scholarly literature, and his own frequently clever contributions to the discussion are founded upon impressively close observation of Lucians work and habits.[...]...a very welcome contribution to the scholarly literature on Lucians Philopseudes and its tales.' (William Hansen Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008-04-00)

...a welcome and important addition to the field of Lucianic studies... In addition to being a careful, scholarly study, the book is also an enjoyable read...' (Debbie Felton New England Classical Journal 2009-05-00)

About this edition

• Publisher: Classical Press of Wales
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 190512516X
• ISBN 13: 9781905125166
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 319