Lucian's Dialogues of the Courtesans (Dialogi Meretricii) are fifteen short dialogues set in classical Athens. The Dialogues depict exchanges between courtesans and between courtesans and their clients. Dialogues of the Courtesans is part of a larger body of Greek literature featuring courtesans that begins with the first attested use of hetaira (ἑταίρα) for courtesan in Herodotus' Histories (2.134) and includes Attic oratory, philosophical dialogue, Hellenistic epigram, and New Comedy. Though Lucian borrows from this body of literature, especially from New Comedy, to craft his fictional world of courtesans, this dissertation illustrates how Lucian's depiction is unlike all previous representations. Lucian gives his courtesans a voice and places the focus of the dialogues on their lives and experiences rather than on the experiences of male characters. Moreover, Dialogues of the Courtesans features unpleasant aspects of a courtesan's life not often emphasized in other ancient Greek literature. These differences set his courtesans apart not only from depictions in previous literature but also from those of Lucian's closer contemporaries in the Second Sophistic. While other Second Sophistic portrayals of hetairai often feature witty, beautiful, flashy, and rich women, Lucian calls attention to the difficulties actual courtesans would have faced such as poverty, violence, and falling in love with an unattainable man. Lucian's use of traditional literary elements to create such a strikingly different picture of courtesan life displays his ability to assimilate and manipulate the tropes of courtesan literature effectively.
Dissertation
Complicated courtesans: Lucian's Dialogues of the courtesans
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2014
DOI: 10.17077/etd.xh0yeszn
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Complicated courtesans: Lucian's Dialogues of the courtesans
- Creators
- Sharada Sue Shreve-Price - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Craig A. Gibson (Advisor)Mary Depew (Committee Member)Carin Green (Committee Member)John Finamore (Committee Member)Robert Ketterer (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Classics
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2014
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.xh0yeszn
- Number of pages
- vi, 206 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2014 Sharada Sue Shreve-Price
- Language
- English
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-206).
- Academic Unit
- Classics
- Record Identifier
- 9983776806002771
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