The Garden Ekphrasis: Visual Aspects of the Ancient Novel
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 1999 The garden ekphrasis: visual aspects of the ancient novel Cheney, David Terrance Andrew Cheney, D. T. (1999). The garden ekphrasis: visual aspects of the ancient novel (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/17428 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/42256 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca THE UNTVERSKY OF CALGARY The Garden Ekphrasis: Visual Aspects of the Ancient Novei by David Cheney A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES M PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF GREEK, LATIN AND ANCIENT HISTORY CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 1999 O David Cheney 1999 National Library Bibliotheque nationale l*l of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your lile Votre retdrena, our l~kr~otte ramma The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permenant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microficheffilm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent itre imprimes reproduced without the author' s ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT This thesis studies ancient novels written between the first century B.C.E. and the fad century C.E. concentrating on the descriptive passages. and in particular the art- work ekphrasis, descriptions of the main characters. and descriptions of the focus amoenus (pleasant place). I propose that a pattern consisting of these elements generates erotic atmosphere in the novels. The art-work ekphrasis features the abduction motif-a beautiful maiden or young male who is abducted or destroyed by some god or goddess. This symbolically foreshadows events to come. At the core of this motif is the natural setting (focus amoenus) which reveals the inherent beauty and danger found in nature. This pattern is typically found within the fist two books of the novel. In three of them the art-work ekphnsis importantly foreshadows the action and is far from being irrelevant. The thesis also considers those elements of Near Eastern. Greek md Roman cultural traditions which come together in the art-work and locus amoenus descriptions. including rhetoric. pastoral poetry, peristyle gardens, sacro-idyllic wall painting, Eastern exoticism. and Greek mythology. ACKNOVVLEDGE~~ENTS This thesis would not have come to fruition over the last three years when the seed was planted if not for the following people. Fist and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. M. I. Cropp with his scrutinizing eyes and unending help, Dr. R. Schmiel who taught me to really look at poetry, and at the same time, to truly appreciate the language. Dr. B. Baldwin who opened my eyes to the romance novel. Dr. 0.Wesm for introducing me to the Pervigilium Veneris. Dr. W. Heckel who urged me dong the Persian paradeisos path, and Dr. G. Sirnmins for his "outside" help. Also. a special thanks to Bill MacDonneil for inspiring me yet again with his painting. I would also like to thank my wife Sandie for her patience and suppon, and my son Iulian for being himself. This thesis is dedicated to my daughter Eva iUexia for whom language takes a back seat to visualness! TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval Page Abstract Acknowledgements Table of Contents CHAFER ONE: INTRODUCTION L CHAPTER TWO: THE EKPWSIS N AiCENT LITERAa AND RHETORIC 4 a) Adefkition 4 b) The history of ekphrasis 5 C) The ekphrasis in ancient criticism 11 i) Poets and philosophers 11 ii) The Second Sophistic movement 17 d) The ekphrasis in modem criticism 33 CHM'TER THREE: VISUAL ARTS IN THE EKPHMSIS a) Rhetoric and visual an b) Landscape painting c) Polyphemus and Galarea: Thcocritus and Boscotrecase CHAFER FOUR: ASPECTS OF THE ART-WORK EKPHRASIS IN THE ROMANCE NOVEL Chart 1: Category patterns and story line numbers: a) Description and the role of rhe art-works b) Types of an-works c) Physical placement of the art-works d) Placement within the novel's structure e) mythological context CHAPTER FWE: CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS, THE LOCUS AMOENUS, AND THE ART-WORK EKPHRASIS IN THE ROMNYCE NOVELS a) Descriptio in Chariton and Xrnophon of Ephesus i) Character descriptions ii) The early at-work ekphnsis b) The locus amoenus in the novel i) The locus amaenus in literature ii) The parts of the locus amoenus iii) Flowery language iv) The loci amoeni of Longus and Tatius Chart 2 -Comparisons of the Garden Ekphrasis in Longus and Tatius The ioctu amornus and the ekphrasis in the novel i) The ekphraseis of Longus ii) The Europa ekphnsis of Achilles Tatius I ) S truc ture and Pardletism 2) Allusion in the Europa ekphnsis 3) Lr Jardin des Ddices of Europa iii) The Philomela and Proknr ekphrasis of Tatius iv) Andromeda in Tatius and Heliodorus- a return to Boscotrecase I) Tatius and Andromeda 2) Tatius and Boscotrecase 3) Heliodorus and Andromeda v) The .4ctaeon ekpbis of Apuleius CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancient texts Secondary Literature APPElWIX : EXTRACTS FROM THE NOVELS a) Chariton b) Xenophon of Ephesus C) Apuleius d) Achilles Tatius e) Longus f) Heliodorus CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION The ancient romance novels. written behveen the first century B.C.E. and fourth century C.E.1 follow a typical plot: boy meets girl, they fall in love, they become separated through a series of adventures and in the end they are reunited.' There is a description of an art-work (an ekphrasis) in four of the five extant novels that exist in the Greek language and one in Latin: Achilles Tatius' Leucippe and Clitophon. Hetiodorus' Acrhiopiciz. Longus' Daphnis and C!zloi.'. Xenophon of Ephesus' Ephesinca and Apuleius' iCletamorphoses. Only the earliest novel of Chariton does not feature an art-work ekphrasis. Frequently the art-work ekphrasis is connected to a locus arnoenrcs or a pleasant spot. The characters of the art-work can be depicted in a locrcs urnoenrs. or the entire an-work is set in a locris nrnoenus. or a description of a lonis izmocncis is found in the narrative shortly after the ekphrasis. The locus nmoenrcs played an important psychologicd rdle as a metaphor for the sexuality of the virgin heroine; who. like the garden. is a visual "paradise" for the eyes of the hero (or any other male) to enjoy and pursue. To reinforce this metaphor. "flowery" descriptions or comparisons of the maiden or the male hero are frequently used as well. An exploration of these romances reveals that the erotic atmosphere was enhanced by interconnecting seductive images of art-works. virgins and gardens reinforced through symbolism and foreshadowing techniques. and often by making allegorical connections to past literary works..' How are these connections. symbols. and the context of the garden used in Erwin Rohde wrote the first modern work on the novel in 1576 in his book Dergriechische Roman and since his time the datings of the novels have varied. The geneniIy agreed dates as compiled by both Reardon 5 and Eaterling 684 suggest that Chariton wrote in the mid-late 1st century B.C.E. /C.E.?: Xenophon of Ephesus is dated to the mid-2nd century C.E. ?: Apuleius wrote in the 2nd century C.E.; Achilles Tatius in the late-2nd century C.E.; Longus lived in the late-2nd-early 3rd C.E. ?; and Hetiodorus lived in the early-mid-3rd or late 4th century. See Stephens and Winkler for rt complete list 01311 extant novel fragments or Swain 10 I- 102 for a shorter list. See p. 60-62 for a typical plot. Littlewood (1979) 96. The loclis classicrts is the rape of Persephone, who is abducted while picking flowers with her companion Nymphs (HomericHymn ro Demerer 3-13). Bartsch 50; Dubois 7; Hagsmm xx. relation to the ekphrasis? Were they merely rhetoricalfIourish or did they have a greater importance? This thesis will examine the connections through literary, visual and historical components and will reveal a pattem that was established during these formative years of the romance novel. I m proposing that the romance novelists used a specific pattern which integrates the ekphrasis, the loclrs amoenus and the character-descriptions to heighten the erotic atmosphere. This pattern comprises a series of descriptions of art-works. gardens, virgins and erotic encounters which the romance writer interweaves within the story. The pattern is as fol1ows:j a) description of a work of art or ekphrasis (ekphras.) b) description of a locus arnoenris (loc.) c) description of n virgin boy or girl (character) d) erotic encounter (Eros) Not dl follow the order of this pattem but most of the novels include several se-ments and often the pattern is contained within a specific book, for example in Xen.