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The Greek Novel: Titles and Genre
- American Journal of Philology
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 126, Number 4 (Whole Number 504), Winter 2005
- pp. 587-611
- 10.1353/ajp.2006.0011
- Article
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Were the Greek novels titled according to a consistent convention? This article confronts the view that the original titles were always historiographical in form (Assyriaka, Lesbiaka, Aithiopika, etc.) and that readers were thus steered to expect, in the first instance, realistic narrative. Examining the evidence in detail, it argues that the formula the novels were likeliest to have shared was ta kata + girl's name (or girl's + boy's names). On this basis, it is concluded that what the titles of the novels promised was primarily invasive narratives of private life.