Greek Fiction: Callirhoe, Daphnis and Chloe, Letters of Chion (Penguin Classics)

This is a review of the Penguin Classics edition of three ancient Greek novels (Callirhoe, Daphnis and Chloe, and Letters of Chion), under the title of “Greek Fiction”. Let me start with some general comments: the edition is outstanding, with an illuminating introduction by Helen Morales and excellent translations of three of the oldest extant novels in literary history. The footnotes are helpful and unobtrusive, so readers can sit back and enjoy the works.Now for the individual reviews:My favorite among the three works was, by far, Callirhoe. It’s a love story full of twists and turns, with scenes in Siracuse (Sicily), Miletus (Ionia, in today’s Turkey), Babylon, Egypt, and other places. Never a dull moment! Don’t expect characters to develop psychologically over the course of the novel. At most, they learn the lessons from their mistakes, but that’s it. The joy of the book is in the adventures and the portrait of life in the ancient Greek and Persian worlds. The author, Chariton, knows his classical literature, and the story is chock-full of quotations from Homer, Plato, and other authors. It helps to be familiar with the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Greek mythology in general. Still, the excellent footnotes include all the reader should know to enjoy the story.Daphnis and Chloe, probably the most famous of the three, was the subject of a ballet with music by Maurice Ravel. Although a love story as well, it takes place, unlike Callirhoe, in a pastoral setting, on the island of Lesbos. Its central theme is the discovery of love by two youths, a goatherd and a shepherdess, both foundlings. Again, familiarity with mythology helps, as Pan, Dionysus, the Nymphs, and other deities are mentioned all the time. And again, the footnotes help.The Letters of Chion may be Western literature's first extant epistolary novel. It is philosophical and political in spirit and raises issues that remain relevant to our own day, such as the relationship between thought and action, and the right or duty of resistance to tyranny. This one is instructive, but it is not exactly a “fun read”. Fortunately, it’s a short work, and the reader’s interest doesn’t flag.Finally, a word of warning: L. P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”. Although Greece is one of the fountainheads of our culture, there is much in these stories to shock the modern reader: the routine torture of slaves, slavery itself (of course), issues of sexism, adultery, pederasty, and other behaviors which most of us would deem unacceptable today. So don’t expect modern values to be reflected in these 2000-year-old texts. On the other hand, if you read these works on their own terms, I promise you’ll find much to enjoy… and ponder.

I bought it for a class and was happy with the product. It was in excellent condition and the price was great.

CallirhoeThe longest of the works, it wears it's Homeric influence proudly both in terms of the styling of metaphors and direct quotations from The Iliad and The Odyssey. You suspend your disbelief that anyone could be so unfortunate as these lovers but of course some of this is self-inflicted too. I was rooting for Dionysius to keep his "wife", especially as Chaereas had abused her in the first place. While Chaereas prevails, you do feel Dionysius is cheated even if Chareas has redeemed himself.Daphnis and ChloeEasily my favourite of these three, it's pastoral setting and the innocence of first love was a delight. In our age of sex education from the age of 5 it's hard to believe that the lovers wouldn't know what to do, but then I think everyone remembers their first time as an awkward experience.Letters of ChionSeventeen letters written as if they were by Chion himself, they tell a story of political intrigue. It's short (20ish pages) and I didn't find it that interesting until the last two letters.

I bought this Kindle book for Chariton's classic Chaireas and Kallirhoe, and I was not disappointed. This tale thunders back and forth across the ancient world, with the star-crossed lovers being finally reunited after some very bizarre trials. Great edition.

Good, thanks!