Preface
A Note on the Spelling of Greek Terms
Abbreviations
Introduction 3
Ch. 1 The Greek Novel: Sexual Symmetry 14
Hapless Heroes 15
The Pederastic Paradigm 26
Mutuality versus Mastery 30
Love and Lust 36
Passion and Permanence 45
Constancy versus Chastity 48
Fidelity and Fate 55
Eros in the Novel 57
Ch. 2 Greek Novels: Variations on a Type 60
Achilles Tatius: The Hero as Voyeur 60
Chariton: The View of the Heroine 73
Longus: Passion and Puberty 79
Heliodorus: Sex and the Sacred 90
Ch. 3 Roman Novels: Unequal Love 99
Apollonius King of Tyre: Marriage and Incest 100
Petronius: Pederastic Passion 113
Apuleius: Desire and the Divine 125
Ch. 4 Before the Novel: Passion and Power 139
New Comedy 141
Elegy 150
Lyric and Epigram 160
Mime 162
Pastoral 167
Epic 170
Tragedy 175
Eros in Antiquity 178
The Novel 185
Ch. 5 Modern Novels: The Division of Desire 187
Aucassin and Nicolette: Sex and Status 188
Arcadia: Passion and Patriarchy 192
Pandosto: The Division of Desire 199
Pamela: Learning to Love 205
The Pulp Romances: Harlequin Heroines 211
Love in the Modern Novel 214
Ch. 6 Conclusion 218
Works Cited 233
Index 263

"In the Greek romances," writes David Konstan, "sighs, tears, and suicide attempts are as characteristic of the male as of the female in distress; ruses, disguises, and outright violence in defense of one's chastity are as much the part of the female as of the male." Exploring how erotic love is represented in ancient amatory literature, Konstan points to the symmetry in the passion of the hero and heroine as a unique feature of the Greek novel: they fall mutually in love, they are of approximately the same age and social class, and their reciprocal attachment ends in marriage. He shows how the plots of the novels are perfectly adapted to expressing this symmetry and how, because of their structure, they differ from classical epic, elegy, comedy, tragedy, and other genres, including modern novels ranging from Sidney to Harlequin romances.
Using works like Chaereas and Callirhoe and Daphnis and Chloe, Konstan examines such issues as pederasty, the role of eros in both marital and nonmarital love, and the ancient Greek concept of fidelity. He reveals how the novelistic formula of sexual symmetry reverses the pattern of all other ancient genres, where erotic desire appears one-sided and unequal and is often viewed as either a weakness or an aggressive, conquering power. Konstan's approach draws upon theories concerning the nature of sexuality in the ancient world, reflected in the work of Michel Foucault, David Halperin, and John Winkler.
Originally published in 1993.
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