Fiona Hobden

Xenophon (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

This book offers a concise introduction to Xenophon, the Athenian historian, political thinker, moral philosopher and literary innovator who was also a pupil of Socrates, a military general on campaign in Persia, and an exile in residence in the Peloponnese during the late fifth and fourth centuries BC. Alive during one of the most turbulent periods in Greek history, Xenophon wrote extensively about the past and present. In doing so he not only invented several new genres, but also developed pointed political analyses and probing moral critiques.

It is the purpose of this book to explore Xenophon's life, writing and ideas, and reception through thematic studies that draw upon the full range of his work. Starting with his approach to the past and to Socrates, it demonstrates how the depiction of events and people from previous times and places are inflected with contemporary concerns about political instability and the challenges of leadership, as well as by a 'Socratic' perspective on politics and morality. The following in-depth examination of Xenophon's theories concerning political organization and the bases for a good life highlight the interconnectivity of his ideas about how to live together and how to live well. Although Xenophon addresses conceptual issues, his writings provide a practical response to real-life problems. Finally, an evaluation of his significance as an inspiration to later writers in their creative interrogations of human affairs brings the investigations to a close. This book thus illuminates Xenophon's importance within the vibrant intellectual culture of ancient Greece as an active participant in and evaluator of his world, as well as his impact over time.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 168
• Erscheinungstermin: 12. November 2020
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781474298490
• Artikelnr.: 60166383

Autorenporträt

Fiona Hobden is Senior Lecturer in Greek Culture at the University of Liverpool, UK. Xenophon has been an abiding presence in her research and publications including The Symposion in Ancient Greek Society and Thought (2013) and her co-edited volume Xenophon: Ethical Principles and Historical Enquiry (2012).

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Maps
Illustrations
Introduction: Words and Deeds
Life Stories
Life's Work
Chapter 1: Writing History
On Greek Affairs
Modelling Persian Kingship
Stepping into History
Conclusion
Chapter 2: Remembering Socrates 45
Dialogue or Drama? 46
Philosophy in Action 48
Defence
Ghost in the Machine
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Rethinking the Polis 64
Informed Leadership and Constructive Citizenship 65
Law and Order in a Surveillance Society
Happy Tyrants make Happy Cities
Towards Peacetime Prosperity
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Living a Good Life
Virtue vs Vice
Personal Morality and Public Service
Best of the Greeks
Virtues for All
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Thinking through Xenophon
Integration
Emulation
Transmission
Rebirth
Revival
Conclusion
Conclusion: The Stranger's Voice
Further Reading
Index