What do you think?
Rate this book
Selected Dialogues
You'll find another man to harvest, Glycerion: let this one go'
The Greek satirist Lucian was a brilliantly entertaining writer who invented the comic dialogue as a vehicle for satiric comment. His influence was immense, not only in the Greek world, but on later European writers such as Rabelais and Swift. His dialogues puncture the pretensions of pompous philosophers and describe the daily lives of Greek courtesans; they are peopled by politicians, historians and ordinary citizens, as well as by gods and mythic figures. This selection provides a cross-section of Lucian's styles and satirical targets, from serious polemic to lighter squibs and character portrayals. It includes How to Write History and his most famous piece, A True History, a fabulous tale of space travel and a monstrous whale which prefigures the fantasies of Jules Verne.
This lively new translation is both accurate and idiomatic, and the introduction highlights Lucian's importance in his own and later times.
The Greek satirist Lucian was a brilliantly entertaining writer who invented the comic dialogue as a vehicle for satiric comment. His influence was immense, not only in the Greek world, but on later European writers such as Rabelais and Swift. His dialogues puncture the pretensions of pompous philosophers and describe the daily lives of Greek courtesans; they are peopled by politicians, historians and ordinary citizens, as well as by gods and mythic figures. This selection provides a cross-section of Lucian's styles and satirical targets, from serious polemic to lighter squibs and character portrayals. It includes How to Write History and his most famous piece, A True History, a fabulous tale of space travel and a monstrous whale which prefigures the fantasies of Jules Verne.
This lively new translation is both accurate and idiomatic, and the introduction highlights Lucian's importance in his own and later times.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
11 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Lucian of Samosata
1,425books173followersLucian of Samosata was a Greek-educated Syrian rhetorician, and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 7, 2017
Indeed, if you took away these elements of fable from Greece nothing could prevent the local guides from starving to death, as visitors would not want to listen to the truth, even for free.
Lucian of Samosata was the Voltaire of antiquity: witty, scoffing, skeptical, full of fire and imagination. He wrote in pure Attic Greek, and preferred to be curt rather than comprehensive. His surviving works are short; all can be read in one sitting; and this was important for Lucian, since he buttered his bread by traveling from city to city and reading his works aloud.
His pieces skirt the boundary between Platonic dialogues and pocket dramas. Most often he is concerned with some intellectual bugbear, the failings of philosophers and historians, but occasionally he turns his satire upon particular individuals. Although he sometimes attempts a philosophical argument, his dialogues are, on the whole, rather shallow intellectually; the only exception to this might be his short treatise on the writing of history, which I quite liked. He was a satirist, not a philosopher; his pen was sharper than his mind.
The most striking feature of his dialogues, however, is not their satiric power—most of his targets are irrelevant nowadays—but his expansive imagination. His most famous work, True History, describes a fantastic voyage, including a battle between the armies of the sun and the moon, a colony inside a monstrous whale, and a sojourn on the isle of the blessed. Lucian is also the originator of the famous story of the sorcerer’s apprentice, which Goethe later turned into a play, Paul Dukas turned into a symphonic poem, and Disney turned into a cartoon.
Although never unpleasant, I must admit that I was seldom entranced by the works here. They are more interesting for their historical influence than their intrinsic merit. It’s hard to imagine Gulliver’s Travels or Candide or even the fantastic voyages of Jules Verne without Lucian paving the way.
October 19, 2015
Of all the Greco-Roman writers of the Second Century, few (if any) offer more pure entertainment than Lucian. A Greek writing from about 150-180 AD, Lucian wrote a wide variety of works over the years, but he is best known for inventing the comic dialogue. Lucian astutely looked at the dialogue form, a template that had been used for philosophical works since the time of Plato, and recognized how the back-and-forth that it offered could be rich comic territory.
This collection contains a nice selection of Lucian’s work, containing 14 of his 70+ surviving writings, including many of his best-known comic dialogues. Highlights include:
A True History – An outstanding satire lampooning the wild stories masquerading as “history” in many ancient texts. Probably Lucian’s most famous work, and sometimes cited as an early example of science fiction (although I think that’s a bit of a stretch). Very entertaining and deserves its place as his most famous piece.
Timon – One of the stronger dialogues in Lucian’s entire repertoire. A very funny description of Timon, a real-world misanthrope, and a satirical look at the problems of wealth in general.
Lover of Lies or the Sceptic – A fun, enjoyable read. Also interesting as the original source for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
How to Write History – A strong essay. I particularly liked Lucian’s description of the good historian’s goal: “[I]t is that, should history ever repeat itself, the records of the past may give present guidance.”
Other essays display Lucian’s range and provide interesting windows into Second-Century life. Lucian has a very pleasant style that’s easy to read and fits his lighter subject matter well. If I’m nitpicking, I would note that I find Lucian more clever and smile-inducing than laugh-out-loud funny; from a pure comedic perspective, I would put him on the second-tier of ancient comedians, just under Aristophanes and Petronius. Also, some of his early works are the sort of rhetorical exercises that can make for forgettable (or even tedious) reading; fortunately, only one such work is present in this collection, The Fly.
But overall, this was highly pleasurable reading. Lucian is not only consistently funny, but his use of the dialogue format allows him to insert philosophical discussions and insights into second-century life in an organic way that is almost always interesting without being heavy-handed. Lucian is not only a unique voice from the ancient world, he is one of the most entertaining as well. 4 stars, recommended!
This collection contains a nice selection of Lucian’s work, containing 14 of his 70+ surviving writings, including many of his best-known comic dialogues. Highlights include:
A True History – An outstanding satire lampooning the wild stories masquerading as “history” in many ancient texts. Probably Lucian’s most famous work, and sometimes cited as an early example of science fiction (although I think that’s a bit of a stretch). Very entertaining and deserves its place as his most famous piece.
Timon – One of the stronger dialogues in Lucian’s entire repertoire. A very funny description of Timon, a real-world misanthrope, and a satirical look at the problems of wealth in general.
Lover of Lies or the Sceptic – A fun, enjoyable read. Also interesting as the original source for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
How to Write History – A strong essay. I particularly liked Lucian’s description of the good historian’s goal: “[I]t is that, should history ever repeat itself, the records of the past may give present guidance.”
Other essays display Lucian’s range and provide interesting windows into Second-Century life. Lucian has a very pleasant style that’s easy to read and fits his lighter subject matter well. If I’m nitpicking, I would note that I find Lucian more clever and smile-inducing than laugh-out-loud funny; from a pure comedic perspective, I would put him on the second-tier of ancient comedians, just under Aristophanes and Petronius. Also, some of his early works are the sort of rhetorical exercises that can make for forgettable (or even tedious) reading; fortunately, only one such work is present in this collection, The Fly.
But overall, this was highly pleasurable reading. Lucian is not only consistently funny, but his use of the dialogue format allows him to insert philosophical discussions and insights into second-century life in an organic way that is almost always interesting without being heavy-handed. Lucian is not only a unique voice from the ancient world, he is one of the most entertaining as well. 4 stars, recommended!
September 16, 2010
For any fan of Greek literature, Lucian (120 - 180 AD) is a wonkish delight. He began his career as a rhetorician for hire, preparing court arguments for whomever needed them. As his fame grew, he traveled the Roman Empire delivering humorous speeches in whatever town he found himself. (Does this make him a Second Century David Sedaris?) In his hands dialogues tend to consist of a brief exchange followed by a long first person account of whatever subject he is addressing. Most often those subjects are philosophers he finds absurd or second-century charlatans who made their living selling snake oil to both country rubes and members of the royal court. Also included is A True History, Lucian's foray into fantastic travelogue. His contribution to this popular genre, he says, is his admission that every detail of his account is a lie.
September 13, 2023
The writings of Lucian are outstanding for their mordant and malicious wit, embodying a sophisticated and often embittered critique of the shams and follies of the literature, philosophy, and intellectual life of his day. Lucian satirized almost every aspect of human behaviour. One of his favourite topics is the human failure to realize the transience of greatness and wealth. This Cynic theme permeates his dialogue Charon, while in the Dialogues of the Dead and other pieces, the Cynic philosopher Menippus is made to jibe at kings and aristocrats, reminding them how much more they have lost by death than he.
March 29, 2008
One of the funniest things I've read in a long time. His satiric eye is flawless and his comic timing is fantastic. Also, the fact that he combines the epic, historiography, speculative literature, and the satiric dialogue without ever seeming contrived or forced makes these dialogues great reads. "A True History" is certainly one of the best pieces of comedy to have ever been written. Lucian rocks my socks!
October 28, 2014
The writings of an ancient Roman literary satirist
17 December 2011
The problem with reviewing a book like this is that it contains a number of different pieces of writing by the author, and no two of them are exactly alike. Lucian was a satirist who lived in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) in the late 2nd Century AD and a lot of his writings tend to poke fun at the traditions of the day. The period in which we are looking at is towards the end of the glory days of the Roman Empire. In fact, I have noticed that a we seem to have a lot of writing coming from this period, and if we include the writings of the Christians, then the amount of literature that we have is astounding.
This led me to a theory that the closer an empire, or culture, comes to collapse, the greater the literary output (though much of the stuff that is written, and this is one of Lucian's complaints, would hardly be called literature). We see that in the late 4th Century BC when the glory days of Athens are passing away to become dominated by the Helenistic Empires that were established by Alexander's successors. We also see this in the late Republic era as the traditional Roman government collapses to be taken over by the Imperial Dictatorship. I have also noticed a similar trend in the late 19th and early 20th Century in Britain, and of course today. The amount of literature that seems to be churned out is mindboggling, and if we add to that all the would-be internet authors (me included), then I struggle to find a period in history when the literary output comes anywhere close to that of today.
Anyway, let us consider the literature that Lucian calls rubbish. A number of the dialogues address this, as he seems to attack everything from philosophy to history. It is clear from his writings that he is not a philosopher and in fact looks down upon a lot of the strange ideas that the philosophers are churning out. He does not restrict his attacks to the current philosophers of his time, but also their sources. He seems to set up as the prime target of his attacks, considering that he seems to think Empedocles' act of throwing himself into a volcano is nothing short of stupid (and I would be hard pressed to find somebody who didn't agree with Lucian on this point). I do get the idea that he did quite appreciate the writings of Plato and the philosophy of Socrates, but it seems that he is not too impressed with how their teachings had turned out in his day.
Now, there is mention of Christianity in his writings, which is not surprising because Christianity was quite popular in his day (and still is). I don't think that he is attacking Christianity per-se, but rather how people respond to it. It is similar to his attacks against the Neo-platonists. It is not Plato that he has a problem with but those who are corrupting his philosophy in his day. Further, it appears that he seems to think that Christ was an historic figure, which is a good thing, but his attacks against Christianity seem to centre upon one person (and least in one of his dialogues) who simply uses Christianity to feather his own nest. It also appears that Lucian is an Atheist in that he does not believe that the gods that are worshipped are truly worthy of worship (though I am not sure if that is the proper definition of an athiest because he is not necessarily saying that the gods don't exist, but rather that he doesn't particularly want to worship them).
It is difficult to equate Lucian's writing with any particular other writing of the classical period (though some argue that Lucian comes just after the end of the Classical Period), however a number of his writings suggest that he is looking back at the old comedy of Aristophanes. This is very clear when it comes to his dialogue on Timon, the same story that was taken by Shakespeare and turned into a tragedy. Lucian's story is taken from earlier sources, and runs pretty much like an Old Comedy play, right down to the slapstick at the end. Shakespeare's play is a tragedy while Lucian's is clearly a comedy. It is difficult to tell whether Lucian intended to have his writings acted out, but I would not be surprised if he did.
The other aspect of his writing is the purely fantastical elements that he uses. In his Icaronmenippus, the hero travels to the moon, and then goes on to visit the gods. However, what is interesting is that this story gives us an idea of how the Romans may have view the regions beyond the Earth's atmosphere. To Lucian, the moon did not orbit the earth in a vacuum, but rather was just another realm where you could look down from and see the earth. To the ancients, to travel beyond the clouds is to take you to the realm of the gods, not the realm of Star Wars. Another writing, the True History, details a journey beyond the Pillars of Heracles, where Lucian travels out into the great ocean to visit many strange and wonderful islands.
The True History is clearly a take off of the Odyssey. At the beginning Lucian indicates that this is a fantastic tale, and that we are to take the story with a grain of salt. This also suggests that how Lucian views Odysseus' tale to Alcinous. He clearly suggests that the only person that knows the truth of this tale is Odysseus, and that he is hardly a trustworthy character. In fact, in his True History, Lucian meets Odysseus who turns out to regret leaving Calypso as she had offered him immortality and he had turned it down for Penelope, which while good at the time, when he was killed, he realises his mistake.
It is interesting to see how when we are looking at the Odyssey, the fantastic elements pretty much take place beyond the Italian Peninsula, a region in Homer's time that was not fully known. Granted, the Greeks were phenomenal sailors, and there are stories of one circumnavigating Africa, however it seems that when we want to move into the realm of fantasy, we move out of the known world. In Homer's time this was the Western Mediterranean, in Lucian's time this was beyond the Pillars of Heracles (though it is interesting that Lucian was quite correct when he spoke of a continent on the other side of the ocean). We see this tradition coming into our world, for as more of the world becomes known, the fewer unknown realms that there are left. In 's day there were the occasional unknown islands in the middle of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, while today we are restricted to the realms of outer space and fantasy land.
It seems somewhat different in those days as Lucian's purpose in writing was to make a mockery of these fantasy novels. However, these days we read them knowing them to be stories, though I must admit, from looking at the Star Wars and Star Trek mania, it appears that there are people that truly want to believe those stories to be true. While the unknown may be relegated to the dark corners of our world, in the late Roman Empire there was still a lot that was unknown to them. They did not really know what was beyond the forests to the North, the desert to the South, or India to the east. Likewise there was not much known about what lay beyond the Ocean to the west, so any author could make up some fantastic tales set in those far off lands. People seemed to be a lot more gullible back then, particularly since an author's background could be hidden much better than it is today.
However, from reading these dialogues, and there are a lot more than what is contained in this book, it is clear to note that Lucian, unlike the other writers of his day, has survived, and this is in addition to his name being added to the black list of the church. That is probably one of the main reasons that his writings did survive, because when people are not allowed to have it, then they end up wanting it all the more. I don't think Lucian hated Christianity any more that all of the other weird and strange philosophies that made their way around the Roman world of his day. Rome was in decay, as Juvenal rather bluntly tried to put it a few decades earlier, though Lucian, using a mix of old and new comedy, was trying to open the eyes of those around him to see how close to falling his society was. That is probably why he lasted.
17 December 2011
The problem with reviewing a book like this is that it contains a number of different pieces of writing by the author, and no two of them are exactly alike. Lucian was a satirist who lived in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) in the late 2nd Century AD and a lot of his writings tend to poke fun at the traditions of the day. The period in which we are looking at is towards the end of the glory days of the Roman Empire. In fact, I have noticed that a we seem to have a lot of writing coming from this period, and if we include the writings of the Christians, then the amount of literature that we have is astounding.
This led me to a theory that the closer an empire, or culture, comes to collapse, the greater the literary output (though much of the stuff that is written, and this is one of Lucian's complaints, would hardly be called literature). We see that in the late 4th Century BC when the glory days of Athens are passing away to become dominated by the Helenistic Empires that were established by Alexander's successors. We also see this in the late Republic era as the traditional Roman government collapses to be taken over by the Imperial Dictatorship. I have also noticed a similar trend in the late 19th and early 20th Century in Britain, and of course today. The amount of literature that seems to be churned out is mindboggling, and if we add to that all the would-be internet authors (me included), then I struggle to find a period in history when the literary output comes anywhere close to that of today.
Anyway, let us consider the literature that Lucian calls rubbish. A number of the dialogues address this, as he seems to attack everything from philosophy to history. It is clear from his writings that he is not a philosopher and in fact looks down upon a lot of the strange ideas that the philosophers are churning out. He does not restrict his attacks to the current philosophers of his time, but also their sources. He seems to set up as the prime target of his attacks, considering that he seems to think Empedocles' act of throwing himself into a volcano is nothing short of stupid (and I would be hard pressed to find somebody who didn't agree with Lucian on this point). I do get the idea that he did quite appreciate the writings of Plato and the philosophy of Socrates, but it seems that he is not too impressed with how their teachings had turned out in his day.
Now, there is mention of Christianity in his writings, which is not surprising because Christianity was quite popular in his day (and still is). I don't think that he is attacking Christianity per-se, but rather how people respond to it. It is similar to his attacks against the Neo-platonists. It is not Plato that he has a problem with but those who are corrupting his philosophy in his day. Further, it appears that he seems to think that Christ was an historic figure, which is a good thing, but his attacks against Christianity seem to centre upon one person (and least in one of his dialogues) who simply uses Christianity to feather his own nest. It also appears that Lucian is an Atheist in that he does not believe that the gods that are worshipped are truly worthy of worship (though I am not sure if that is the proper definition of an athiest because he is not necessarily saying that the gods don't exist, but rather that he doesn't particularly want to worship them).
It is difficult to equate Lucian's writing with any particular other writing of the classical period (though some argue that Lucian comes just after the end of the Classical Period), however a number of his writings suggest that he is looking back at the old comedy of Aristophanes. This is very clear when it comes to his dialogue on Timon, the same story that was taken by Shakespeare and turned into a tragedy. Lucian's story is taken from earlier sources, and runs pretty much like an Old Comedy play, right down to the slapstick at the end. Shakespeare's play is a tragedy while Lucian's is clearly a comedy. It is difficult to tell whether Lucian intended to have his writings acted out, but I would not be surprised if he did.
The other aspect of his writing is the purely fantastical elements that he uses. In his Icaronmenippus, the hero travels to the moon, and then goes on to visit the gods. However, what is interesting is that this story gives us an idea of how the Romans may have view the regions beyond the Earth's atmosphere. To Lucian, the moon did not orbit the earth in a vacuum, but rather was just another realm where you could look down from and see the earth. To the ancients, to travel beyond the clouds is to take you to the realm of the gods, not the realm of Star Wars. Another writing, the True History, details a journey beyond the Pillars of Heracles, where Lucian travels out into the great ocean to visit many strange and wonderful islands.
The True History is clearly a take off of the Odyssey. At the beginning Lucian indicates that this is a fantastic tale, and that we are to take the story with a grain of salt. This also suggests that how Lucian views Odysseus' tale to Alcinous. He clearly suggests that the only person that knows the truth of this tale is Odysseus, and that he is hardly a trustworthy character. In fact, in his True History, Lucian meets Odysseus who turns out to regret leaving Calypso as she had offered him immortality and he had turned it down for Penelope, which while good at the time, when he was killed, he realises his mistake.
It is interesting to see how when we are looking at the Odyssey, the fantastic elements pretty much take place beyond the Italian Peninsula, a region in Homer's time that was not fully known. Granted, the Greeks were phenomenal sailors, and there are stories of one circumnavigating Africa, however it seems that when we want to move into the realm of fantasy, we move out of the known world. In Homer's time this was the Western Mediterranean, in Lucian's time this was beyond the Pillars of Heracles (though it is interesting that Lucian was quite correct when he spoke of a continent on the other side of the ocean). We see this tradition coming into our world, for as more of the world becomes known, the fewer unknown realms that there are left. In 's day there were the occasional unknown islands in the middle of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, while today we are restricted to the realms of outer space and fantasy land.
It seems somewhat different in those days as Lucian's purpose in writing was to make a mockery of these fantasy novels. However, these days we read them knowing them to be stories, though I must admit, from looking at the Star Wars and Star Trek mania, it appears that there are people that truly want to believe those stories to be true. While the unknown may be relegated to the dark corners of our world, in the late Roman Empire there was still a lot that was unknown to them. They did not really know what was beyond the forests to the North, the desert to the South, or India to the east. Likewise there was not much known about what lay beyond the Ocean to the west, so any author could make up some fantastic tales set in those far off lands. People seemed to be a lot more gullible back then, particularly since an author's background could be hidden much better than it is today.
However, from reading these dialogues, and there are a lot more than what is contained in this book, it is clear to note that Lucian, unlike the other writers of his day, has survived, and this is in addition to his name being added to the black list of the church. That is probably one of the main reasons that his writings did survive, because when people are not allowed to have it, then they end up wanting it all the more. I don't think Lucian hated Christianity any more that all of the other weird and strange philosophies that made their way around the Roman world of his day. Rome was in decay, as Juvenal rather bluntly tried to put it a few decades earlier, though Lucian, using a mix of old and new comedy, was trying to open the eyes of those around him to see how close to falling his society was. That is probably why he lasted.
January 21, 2023
Not my favourite Greek work that I've read. I enjoyed some parts of these 'Selected Dialogues' by Lucian. I felt like a lot of it didn't resonate with a modern world, however, especially in terms of humour. I appreciate these dialogues for what they are, but I would not want to read more. This aversion might be because I have never been a massive fan of cynic philosophy (which Lucian seems to follow). It is also important to remember that many of these dialogues are a product of their time and contain outdated descriptions and views.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the individual introduction to each piece in the Oxford World's Classics edition by C. D. N. Costa. They provided a brief but helpful context before each dialogue. Overall, I would recommend the 'Selected Dialogues' of Lucian of Samosata to anyone who is already into - and knows a little about - Greek philosophy and texts. Otherwise, there are better places to start.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the individual introduction to each piece in the Oxford World's Classics edition by C. D. N. Costa. They provided a brief but helpful context before each dialogue. Overall, I would recommend the 'Selected Dialogues' of Lucian of Samosata to anyone who is already into - and knows a little about - Greek philosophy and texts. Otherwise, there are better places to start.
April 24, 2020
It certainly is true that humour doesn't age particularly well because it is so sensitive to context, that even a good translation and footnotes cant solve. However it still makes for a good read and not just because its the origin story of the wizards apprentice or has arguably the first science fiction story ever but because it gives you insight into just how similar people in ancient times were. You still get stories of people delaying resolutions to after big yearly events, pagans and Christians got scammed by wily con men but people were also not blind or overly credulous to this.
Also contains some rather charming take downs on philosophers.
Also contains some rather charming take downs on philosophers.
May 13, 2021
Some of these satiric dialogues were amusing, particularly where Lucian is skewering historians or writing a bizarre history of his own, but most of this collection fell flat for me. I will also remember the dialogue where Lucian pulls a Socrates and gets a Stoic devotee to admit that all schools of philosophy are equally silly.
May 18, 2024
Read because a) Timon of Athens is the one of the only works by Shakespeare I give a damn about and I wanted to see the source material & b) finally wanted to get around to reading A True History fourteen years after I first found out about its existence.
Fantastic read and frequently hilarious. Highly, highly recommend.
Fantastic read and frequently hilarious. Highly, highly recommend.
December 23, 2022
Won’t put this on the reading challenge as i only read the relevant section of Praise of the Fly for coursework. Translations were great, layout was easy to follow (same as line references) and the small intros to the passages are a nice touch.
September 21, 2024
obviously a mix of quality with any kind of curated works but true history still bangs, charon is definitely now a favourite (i enjoy it more than icaromenippus) and demonax was genuinely quite funny
February 2, 2025
lucian depicts a world in which the great mass of people practically willingly allow themselves to be deluded by liars, cheats, and self-serving power-seekers. three cheers for progress
January 9, 2025
‘Actually, I feel ashamed for both of us, you and me — you for wanting an utter scoundrel to be commemorated in memory and writing, and me for exerting myself to record the activities of a man who doesn't deserve to have cultivated people read about him, but to have some huge and crowded amphitheatre watch him being torn apart by apes and foxes.’ (p.130)
Lucian of Samosata, the 2nd century Syrian satirist, is my first foray into Classical literature since the Virgil extracts I attempted in GCSE Latin. The reason I ended up with a selection of his dialogues is because of their importance for the history of utopian writing. Generally when people think about the origins of the utopia as a genre in the West they look at Plato’s Republic and then immediately fast-forward to the Renaissance - but in reality, there’s a fair bit of evidence that the Greeks (and, to a lesser extent, the Romans) were also messing about with various kinds of utopia, including utopian satire. Lucian’s ‘A True History’ isn’t really utopian, but it is primarily concerned with satirising the kinds of travel narrative which often frames the more literary variants of the genre, like Euhemerus‘s The Sacred History [c.300 BCE] or Iambulus’s Islands of the Sun [c.165-50 BCE]. Through surreal, psychedelic descriptions of human-animal hybrids, enormous creatures, impossible travels (to the moon/sun, inside a whale, to an island made out of cheese etc.), ‘A True History’ had an enormous influence on the use of utopia as a satirical vehicle, bearing particularly close similarities to early modern works such as Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel (c.1532-1564), Hall’s Mundus Alter et Idem (1605), Cavendish’s The Blazing World (1666) and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726). Lucian’s two tales of trips to the moon (the second, ‘Above the Clouds’, is an Icarian-inspired flight) are the oldest surviving examples of their type, after which there is not another moon-trip until the early seventeenth century and Ben Jonson’s masque A New World Discover’d in the Moone was first performed in 1620 (Ashley, p.13). Perhaps most importantly, the literary device of playing with authorial sincerity which leaves us questioning how seriously we are meant to take the narrative, most famously used by Thomas More for Utopia (1516), comes from Lucian:
‘… as I too was vain enough to want to leave something to posterity, and didn't want to be the only one denied the right to flights of fancy, and since I had nothing truthful to report (not having experienced anything worth recording), I turned to lying. But I am much more honest in this than the others: at least in one respect I shall be truthful, in admitting that I am lying. Thus I think that by freely admitting that nothing I say is true, I can avoid being accused of it by other people. So, I am writing about things I neither saw nor experienced nor heard about from others, which moreover don't exist, and in any case could not exist. My readers must therefore entirely disbelieve them.’ (p.204)
There are other interesting lines of influence from Lucian to the present. The story in ‘Lovers of Lies or the Sceptic’ (pp.177-8) where the student steals a spell from the master which charms a pestle to bring him water but is unable to control it, flooding his house, is either the origin or the earliest surviving example of that narrative which was adapted by Goethe for his poem ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ (1797) and ultimately found its way into Disney’s Fantasia, which set Mickey Mouse as the apprentice with Dukas’s tone poem. The comic dialogues, a form which Lucian invented to mock the Socratic dialogue, still feel fresh and iconoclastic. The satire is really heavy, to the extent that it’s difficult sometimes to believe how old it is - the first piece, ‘Praise of the Fly’, is a ecominium so openly parodic as to feel almost modern.
Mostly, though, this was a slog to get through, particularly because a lot of Lucian’s humour relies on a dense network of references to Classical literature which I am very unfamiliar with - even if an explanatory note can tell me where a quote came from, it can’t tell me why I should find its inclusion funny.
(5/9/24)
Read
April 15, 2022third quarter 2nd century AD
Praise of the Fly
The Dream
Charon
Timon
Icaromenippus, or High Above the Clouds
Nigrinus
The Death of Peregrinus
Hermotimus or On Philosophical Schools
Alexander
Demonax
Lovers of Lies, or The Sceptic
How to Write History
A True History I
A True History II
Dialogues of the Courtesans
“Among his best works are A True Story (the tallest of tall stories about a voyage to the moon), Dialogues of the Gods (a 'reductio ad absurdum' of traditional mythology), Dialogues of the Dead (on the vanity of human wishes), Philosophies for Sale (great philosophers of the past are auctioned off as slaves), The Fisherman (the degeneracy of modern philosophers), The Carousal or Symposium (philosophers misbehave at a party), Timon (the problems of being rich), Twice Accused (Lucian's defence of his literary career)”
Praise of the Fly
The Dream
Charon
Timon
Icaromenippus, or High Above the Clouds
Nigrinus
The Death of Peregrinus
Hermotimus or On Philosophical Schools
Alexander
Demonax
Lovers of Lies, or The Sceptic
How to Write History
A True History I
A True History II
Dialogues of the Courtesans
“Among his best works are A True Story (the tallest of tall stories about a voyage to the moon), Dialogues of the Gods (a 'reductio ad absurdum' of traditional mythology), Dialogues of the Dead (on the vanity of human wishes), Philosophies for Sale (great philosophers of the past are auctioned off as slaves), The Fisherman (the degeneracy of modern philosophers), The Carousal or Symposium (philosophers misbehave at a party), Timon (the problems of being rich), Twice Accused (Lucian's defence of his literary career)”
November 2, 2020
A satirical voice from the heyday of the Roman Empire (2nd century AD). The favorite targets are hypocritical philosophers, religious swindlers and crook magicians. Even the Christians get a piece of the cake. A lively insight into a lively society, presented with all the tricks of rhetorical art.
Currently reading
June 18, 2009the origins of the story of the sorcerer's apprentice!
April 11, 2013
Một cuốn cực kỳ dễ thương. cực kì đáng đọc.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.