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Plutarch’s Pythian Dialogues: a Literary Approach PhD Classics Caitlin Prouatt December 2017 Declaration I confirm that this is my own work and the use of all material from other sources has been properly and fully acknowledged. Caitlin Prouatt Abstract This thesis takes a literary-theoretical approach to Plutarch’s three so-called Pythian dialogues, De E apud Delphos, De Pythiae Oraculis, and De Defectu Oraculorum. It explores the texts from the perspective of their literary qualities: their genre, their unity as a group, and the narrators and narratees they construct. It argues that the three works occupy an important position in the largely Platonic genre of philosophical dialogue, both advertising their Platonic elements to benefit from such associations, and innovating within the genre’s bounds. In his innovations, the author moves beyond what is typically expected of a dialogue, emphasising the works’ unusual Delphic setting, and using this as a starting-point for philosophical discussion. The thesis contends that the three works form a coherent series, not just because of their shared setting and subject matter, but because they all function as protreptics to philosophy, providing readers with a clear guide to practising philosophy by turning to their own surroundings. Finally, this thesis examines, through a study of the works’ dedicatees, the kind of readers Plutarch anticipated. It suggests that the ideal reader of these works, a city-dwelling, career-minded man is deliberately contrasted in the texts with their more philosophical narrators (including Plutarch himself), portrayed as natives of Delphi, affected by both its fortunes and the intellectual preoccupations of its god, Apollo. This highly text-focused, genre-based, and interpretative approach differs greatly from earlier approaches, more concerned with using the texts to understand the history of Delphi itself or the progression of Plutarch’s philosophical thought. Its focus on the reading experience of a contemporary reader, and the self- representation of the author also signal novel ways of approaching these largely understudied texts. Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Timothy Duff, who has encouraged, scrutinised, critiqued, and taught me to hold all of my ideas to account. My thesis is much improved because of his thoughts and suggestions. I thank my parents and my sister for their unwavering support (and regular supply of Tim Tams) from halfway across the world. I thank my dear friend, housemate, and fellow PhD candidate (none of which appellations are adequate), Sonya, who has shared so much of this experience with me, and made it infinitely happier. I thank Marcos for talking through all of my ideas with me, helping me to put my thoughts in order, and making my technology work, but most importantly for always being there for me, reminding me of my capabilities. And finally, I thank Nick, whose translations of the French made much more sense than mine, and who has also encouraged me unstintingly. Table of contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Plutarch’s Moralia ...................................................................................................................... 2 The State of Scholarship on the Pythian Dialogues ................................................................... 5 1. Lack of interest in dialogic form .......................................................................................... 7 2. The problem of the ‘real’ Plutarch ...................................................................................... 8 a) The dialogues as accounts of ‘real’ conversations ........................................................... 8 b) Known individuals as fictional characters ...................................................................... 10 c) Speaking for Plutarch ...................................................................................................... 11 d) The benefits of reading the Pythian dialogues as dialogues .......................................... 12 3. Desire for Coherence ......................................................................................................... 13 4. Literary theory as a new approach .................................................................................... 14 Thesis aims ............................................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 1: Genre in Plutarch’s Pythian Dialogues ............................................................................ 16 Introduction: The meaning of ‘dialogue’ ................................................................................. 16 Genre Theory ........................................................................................................................... 17 Plutarch’s Understanding of Genre ......................................................................................... 20 Dialogue as a Genre ................................................................................................................. 25 Plutarch and Plato .................................................................................................................... 31 1. Dialogue as fiction: the illusion of reality .......................................................................... 34 2. Dramatic conventions ....................................................................................................... 41 a) Characters ....................................................................................................................... 42 b) Interactions ..................................................................................................................... 47 c) Settings ........................................................................................................................... 49 3. Structure: aporia and open endings .................................................................................. 53 Plutarch beyond Plato .............................................................................................................. 57 Plutarch and Problemata ......................................................................................................... 63 Plutarch and Periegesis ............................................................................................................ 73 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 79 Chapter 2: The Unity of the Pythian Dialogues—a Structural Perspective ....................................... 81 Introduction: Πυθικοὶ λόγοι..................................................................................................... 81 Beyond Thematic Unity ............................................................................................................ 83 Prologues: Delphi inspires philosophy ..................................................................................... 88 1) The Prologue of De E ......................................................................................................... 89 2) The Prologue of De Pythiae ............................................................................................. 102 3) De Defectu ....................................................................................................................... 113 The Prologues as Reinforcements of the Same Key Ideas ..................................................... 120 The Speeches: Philosophy in action ....................................................................................... 122 1) The starting point of philosophy: amazement to aporia ................................................ 122 2) Interaction and collaboration: encouragement, assistance, and listening ..................... 127 3. ‘Endings’ .......................................................................................................................... 135 The question of the reading order ......................................................................................... 139 1) Compositional dates and cross references ..................................................................... 139 2) The Lamprias Catalogue and manuscripts ...................................................................... 143 A new approach to the reading order ................................................................................... 147 The wider reading experience ............................................................................................... 150 Chapter 3: Narrators and narratees ................................................................................................ 152 Introduction: Reader meet author ........................................................................................ 152 The Role of the Dedicatee...................................................................................................... 153 Dedicatees in the Pythian Dialogues ..................................................................................... 157 1) Sarapion .......................................................................................................................... 157 2) Terentius Priscus ............................................................................................................

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