Representation of Slavery in the Greek Novel

William M. Owens is Associate Professor of Classics at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. His research focuses on the representation of social institutions, practices, and ideologies in ancient literature, in particular comedy and the novel.

• Introduction: Degradation and Resistance 1. Ephesiaca: Enslavement and Folktale 2. Callirhoe: Narratives of Slavery Explicit and Implied, Told and Retold 3. Two Novels About Slavery 4. Daphnis and Chloe: Slavery as Nature and Art 5. Slavery and Literary Play in Leucippe and Clitophon 6. Aethiopica: Love and Slavery, Philosophy and the Novel Afterward: Conclusions Summarized and Two Points of Speculation

"This is not the first book one should read on the Greek novel, but it is a necessary one... Altogether, the book well illustrates the centrality of slavery to the Greek novel, and shows how the ancient Greek novel became a cultural entrepot through which new comedy, Roman comedy, and other genres came to be appreciated in the Greek-speaking world under Roman rule." - Phoenix"In The Repre­senta­tion of Slavery in the Greek Novel Owens presents a thorough investig­ation by an experienced scholar into an aspect of the Greek novels that has previously been taken for granted as merely one of the standard elements of ancient fiction. Instead, Owens presents a refreshing argu­ment that slavery was an impor­tant theme in these novels... [T]his in-depth investigation of forced labour in ancient fiction contains many useful insights and will make a significant impact." - Bryn Mawr Classical Review"In The Representation of Slavery in the Greek Novel: Resistance and Appropriation, Owens sets himself the ambitious aim of providing a comprehensive treatment of slavery in the five canonical Greek novels, and does not disappoint... [Owens] places slavery in the novelistic context by taking into account the social, juridical, and economic realia of this institution, showing how these are an integral part of the literary construction of slavery... [T]he book is successful in illustrating that slavery cannot be dismissed or relegated to a purely ancillary function in any meaningful exploration of the Greek novel." - Ancient Narrative"This study on the representation of slavery in the ancient novelis well worth reading... What is most useful and valuable in O.'s approach is that he introduces a theoretical framework borrowed from the social sciences... using reader response theory, to extract 'hidden transcripts' of putative real-life experience informing the narrative. This methodology allows him to read each ancient novel from multiple perspectives: from that of the experience of ex-slaves reflected in the trials of the novel's protagonists, to ex-slaves reading the novel, and to elite readers." - The Classical Review“Owens’ work undeniably succeeds in offering a comprehensive overview of slavery in the canonical Greek novels, and the boldness of the arguments for ex-slaves as readers and indeed authors of at least some novels offers a refreshing challenge to some recent scholarly orthodoxies.” - Gnomon