Author or Narrator in Classical Antiquity?

Abstract

This book investigates the validity of the modern distinction between the real author and a fictional speaking instance, often called the ‘narrator’ or ‘persona’, within Graeco-Roman contexts. It argues that this distinction is by no means universal and that identifying the literary speaking voice with the author as a formal concept does greater justice to ancient literary culture. The study reviews contemporary debates in literary theory, refutes modern narratorial readings of Plato and Aristotle, and explores how ancient material conditions—such as orality and performance—favoured an authorial model of communication. It demonstrates that narrative phenomena like intertextuality, epic exordia, and first-person framing are more adequately explained by an authorial rather than a narratorial model. Ultimately, the book suggests that the ancient approach may represent a default mode of literary communication that remains relevant for understanding fictionality and poetics today.