Lucian's science fiction novel, True histories : : interpretation and commentary / / by Aristoula Georgiadou and David H.J. Larmour.

• Superior document: Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum, 179
• Author: Georgiadou, Aristoula.
• TeilnehmendeR: Larmour, David H. J. 1959-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 1998.
• Year of Publication: 1998
• Language: English
• Series: Mnemosyne, Supplements 179.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (254 pages)
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Truth and Falsehood /; Allegory and the Journey for Knowledge /; Parody and Allusion /; The Verae Historiae, Satire and Science Fiction /; A Trip to the Moon /; Inside the Whale /; The Land of the Dead /; Bibliography /; General Index /; Index of Greek Words /; Supplements to Mnemosyne /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-245) and indexes.
• ISBN: 9004351507
• ISSN: 0169-8958
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: by Aristoula Georgiadou and David H.J. Larmour.

This is the first substantial commentary on Lucian's Verae Historiae (\'True Histories\'), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition. The Introduction situates the work in the context of Lucian's oeuvre, especially his preoccupation with distinguishing truth from fiction and exposing the lies of philosophers. In their commentary, the editors trace the sources and the meaning of the numerous intertextual allusions and parodies of philosophers, poets, historians and paradoxographers. The Verae Historiae emerges from this scrutiny as a remarkably complex text with some very \'modern\' concerns: it problematizes the act of reading, allegorical interpretation, authorial reliability, and the validity of cultural norms and literary genres.