In view of the epic: the construction of the hero in the narratives of Xenophon

Abstract

The historical narratives of Xenophon (fourth century BC) - Anabasis, Hellenica, Agesilas and Cyropaedia - present a development of both thematic and writing when compared to historical works of his predecessors, Herodotus and Thucydides. This difference, however, has not been appreciated by scholars of classical literature that, in most cases, consider this innovation as a major defect in the work of Xenophon. We will seek, in this thesis, which consists, in fact, this change of attitude by Xenophon, focusing on a new role of fiction within the framework of historical narrative. Through metalinguistic comments, we demonstrate how this new role of fiction in the work of Xenophon is the product of a conscious effort of the writer Athenian. Moreover, this fiction is linked to a resumption of the practice of Homeric epic of values, values that are not only moral and ethical, but also aesthetic and literary. From the intertextuality, we will seek to demonstrate how Xenophon fictionalizes the historical data, repeating in a new context the narratives of Homer. (AU)