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Ambiguity in the sense of two or more possible meanings is
considered to be a distinctive feature of modern art and
literature. It characterizes the "open artwork" (Eco) and is
generated by "disruptive tactics" (Wellershoff) and strategies to
engender uncertainty. While ambiguity is seen as a "paradigm of
modernity" (Bode), there is skepticism regarding its use in the
pre-modern era. Older studies were dominated by the conviction that
there was a lack of ambiguity in pre-modernity because, according
to the rules of the "old rhetoric", ambiguity was seen as an
avoidable error (vitium) and a violation of the dictate of clarity
(perspicuitas). The aim of the volume is to re-examine the putative
"absence of ambiguity" in the pre-modern era. Is it not possible to
find clear examples of deliberately employed (intended) ambiguity
in antiquity? Are the oracles and riddles, the Palinode of
Stesichoros and Socrates (Phaedrus), the dissoi logoi of rhetoric,
the ambiguities of the tragedies all exceptions or do they not
indicate a distinct interest in the artistic use of ambiguity? The
presentations of the conference, which will include scholars from
various philologies, will combine a recourse to theoretical
concepts of intended ambiguity with exemplary analyses from the
field of pre-modern art and literature.
Considering the ubiquity of rhetorical training in antiquity, the
volume starts from the premise that every first-person statement in
ancient literature is in some way rhetorically modelled and
aesthetically shaped. Focusing on different types of Greek and
Latin literature, poetry and prose, from the Archaic Age to Late
Antiquity, the contributions analyse the use and modelling of
gender-specific elements in different types of first-person speech,
be it that the speaker is (represented as) the author of a work, be
it that they feature as characters in the work, narrating their own
story or that of others. In doing so, they do not only offer new
insights into the rhetorical strategies and literary techniques
used to construct a gendered 'I' in ancient literature. They also
address the form and function of first-person discourse in
classical literature in general, touching on fields of research
that have increasingly come into focus in recent years, such as
authorship studies, studies concerning the ancient notion(s) of the
literary persona, as well as a historical narratology that
discusses concepts such as the narrator or the literary character
in ancient literary theory and practice.
The term 'cityscaping' is here introduced to characterise the
creative process through which the image of the city is created and
represented in various media - text, film and artefacts. It thus
turns attention away from built urban spaces and onto mental images
of cities. One focus is on the question of which literary, visual
and acoustic means prompt their recipients' spatial imagination;
another is to inquire into the semantics and functions that are
ascribed to the image of a city as constructed in various media.
The examples of ancient texts and works of art, and modern
literature and films, are used to elucidate the artistic potential
of images of the city and the techniques by which they are
semanticised. With its interdisciplinary approach, the volume for
the first time makes clear how strongly mental images of urban
space, both ancient and modern, have been shaped by the techniques
of their representation in media.
Fragen des KArpers und der KArperlichkeit finden zunehmend das
Interesse der kulturwissenschaftlichen Forschung; gerade dem
spAtantiken Christentum gilt in diesem Zusammenhang immer wieder
besondere Beachtung. Der Sammelband stellt in den Mittelpunkt das
Motiv des leidenden KArpers, der aufgefasst ist als kulturelles
Symbol und Kommunikationsmedium bei Integration und Abgrenzung des
Christentums in seinem Bezug auf die spAtantike Gesellschaft und
Geisteswelt. MAnchsaskese und Martyrium, Krankheit und Schmerz
bilden die wichtigsten Bezugspunkte der einzelnen BeitrAge.
The series: Topoi. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World brings
together contributions from all fields of classical studies, from
pre- and early history and classical archeology to ancient
philosophy, theory of science and theology. Monographs and volumes
which present the research results of the Excellence Cluster Topoi
form a major focus of the series. Additional topics are currently
being planned. The Excellence Cluster Topoi examines the formation
and transformation of space and knowledge in ancient civilizations.
Topoi is the joint responsibility of the Freie Universitat Berlin
and the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. Partner institutions are
the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the
German Archeological Institute, the Max Planck Institute for the
History of Science and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
Furthermore Topoi is interlinked with several university institutes
as well as other institutions. For further information see
www.topoi.org. Selected titles from the series Topoi. Berlin
Studies of the Ancient World will be freely accessible in digital
form on the Internet at the date of print publication. The series
regards itself as a pilot project on how to combine open access
with the support of professional publishers in the publication of
current research. See press release June 23rd, 2009 .
No scholar today would describe late antiquity as an age of
"decline and fall," as Gibbon did; instead, to use Marrou's term,
it is seen as an "other antiquity," which deserves to be
investigated on its own terms. Yet the idea of a decadent period,
accompanied by a fascination for the image of antiquity on the
wane, continues to live in scholarly minds, as is suggested, after
all, by the recurring insistence on the point that late antiquity
was not a period of decline. This collection of papers engages in a
productive way with the fascination exerted by the concept of an
era in decline and a literary and artistic fin-de-siecle
atmosphere, evoked in the very title 'Decadence'. Whether this
fascination is seen as a question of the history of reception or as
an ongoing phenomenon, it rarely emerges to the surface of
scholarly discussions. This volume invites us to reconsider these
questions by making decadent late antiquity a paradigm of
interpretation in connection with a conscious and sophisticated
re-use of the history of reception.
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