Situating Josephus' Life within ancient autobiography : genre in context / Davina Grojnowski.

Author/creator Grojnowski, Davina author.
Format Book
PublicationLondon ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2023.
Copyright Date©2023
Description205 pages ; 24 cm.
Subjects

SeriesEducation, literary culture, and religious practice in the ancient world
Education, literary culture, and religious practice in the ancient world. ^A1477298
Abstract "Davina Grojnowski examines Life, the autobiographical text written by ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, from a literary studies perspective and in relation to genre theory. In order to generate a framework of literary practices, Josephus' Life and other texts within Josephus' literary spheres-all associated with autobiography-are the focus of a detailed literary analysis which compares the texts in terms of established features, such as structure, topoi and subject. This methodological examination enables a better understanding of the literary boundaries of autobiography in antiquity and illustrates Josephus' thought-process during the composition of Life. Grojnowski also offers a comparative study of autobiographical practices in Greek and Roman literature, demonstrating the value of passive education supplementing what had been taught actively and its impact on authors and audiences. As a result, she provides insight into the development of literary practices in reaction to various forms of education and subsequently reflects on the religious (self-) views of authors and audiences. Simultaneously, Grojnowski reacts to current discourses on ancient literary genres and demonstrates that ancient autobiography existed as a teachable literary genre in classical literature." -- Page 4 of cover.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 185-200) and index.
Genre/formCriticism, interpretation, etc.
ISBN9781350320161
ISBN1350320161 (hardcover)