Essays

Utopisch Aithiopië of Aithiopische utopie: Het utopische wereldbeeld in Heliodoros' 'Aithiopika'

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Abstract

Heliodorus’ Aithiopika (ca. 350 AD) is the youngest extant representative of an ancient literary genre commonly known as the Greek novel of ordeal. Whereas its remarkable narrative structure has received much scholarly attention, the utopian character of this novel has not been dealt with in any exhaustive way. If it is discussed, attention is drawn primarily to the tenth and last book of the novel, which extensively describes Ethiopia. This article argues that the utopian dimension of the novel is carefully and ingeniously constructed throughout the entire novel. An analysis of the four components underlying this construction is illustrated by some relevant passages. It is concluded that Heliodorus adopts these components to characterize his Aithiopika as an ‘utopian novel of ordeal’.

How to Cite:

Van Den Bossche, B., (2008) “Utopisch Aithiopië of Aithiopische utopie: Het utopische wereldbeeld in Heliodoros' 'Aithiopika'”, Tetradio 17(1): 8, 185–212. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tetradio.91786