Situating Josephus' Life within Ancient Autobiography - Genre in Context

Davina Grojnowski examines Life , the autobiographical text written by ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, from a literary studies perspective and in relation to genre theory. In order to generate a framework of literary practices, Josephus'' Life and other texts within Josephus'' literary spheres-all associated with autobiography-are the focus of a detailed literary analysis which compares the texts in terms of established features, such as structure, topoi and subject. This methodological examination enables a better understanding of the literary boundaries of autobiography in antiquity and illustrates Josephus'' thought-process during the composition of Life . Grojnowski also offers a comparative study of autobiographical practices in Greek and Roman literature, demonstrating the value of passive education supplementing what had been taught actively and its impact on authors and audiences. As a result, she provides insight into the development of literary practices in reaction to various forms of education and subsequently reflects on the religious (self-) views of authors and audiences. Simultaneously, Grojnowski reacts to current discourses on ancient literary genres and demonstrates that ancient autobiography existed as a teachable literary genre in classical literature.>

Product details

• Authors: Davina Grojnowski, Grojnowski Davina
• Assisted by: Sean A Adams (Editor), Catherine Hezser (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 20.02.2025
• EAN: 9781350320192
• ISBN: 978-1-350-32019-2
• No. of pages: 240
• Dimensions: 154 mm x 234 mm x 14 mm
• Series: Education, Literary Culture, and Religious Practice in the Ancient World
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; RELIGION / Ancient, Ancient / Biblical Israel, Judaism, Ancient History, Classical history / classical civilisation, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, HISTORY / Middle East / Egypt, c 332 BCE to c 630 CE (Egyptian Greco-Roman period)