Table Of ContentOUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,15/10/2019,SPi
CLASSICS IN THEORY
General Editors
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OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,15/10/2019,SPi
CLASSICS IN THEORY
Classics in Theory explores the new directions for classical scholarship
openedupbycriticaltheory.Inherentlyinterdisciplinary,theseriescreates
aforumfortheexchangeofideasbetweenclassics,anthropology,mod-
ernliterature,philosophy,psychoanalysis,politics,andotherrelatedfields.
Invigorating and agenda-setting volumes explore the cross-fertilizations
betweentheoryandclassicalscholarshipthathavebeenfoundationalfor
these traditions and set out a vision for future work on the productive
intersectionsbetweentheancientworldandcontemporarythought.
Praise for Inventing the Novel
“BakhtinaffirmedthatPetronius’‘roleinthehistoryofthenovelisimmense
andasyetinadequatelyappreciatedbyscholarship.’Thisbook,byabrilliant
translator of Petronius and eminent scholar of Bakhtin, brings the two
together in stimulating counterpoint. It is a pleasure to read for its wit,
learning,andcrispinsights,andisessentialforanyoneinterestedinBakhtin
andthenovelgenerally.”
ProfessorDavidKonstan,BrownUniversity
“ForMikhailBakhtin,theEuropeannovelbeganintheancientworld.Like
thegodJanus, itcelebrated everythingthatfacedbothwaysandrefused to
speak a unified truth in a unified tongue, which was the task of the first
generationofclassicalgenres(epic,lyric,drama).BrachtBranhamhaslong
beenourbestsleuthontheseearlynovelisticorigins.Inthiswonderfulbook,
even as he tames and trims back Bakhtin’s extravagant claims, he finds a
worthy double for Bakhtin under Stalin in Petronius under Nero. And he
showsconvincinglythatdialogicdepthandpolyphoniccomplexity,farfrom
beingopposedtocarnival,canflourishalongsideitintheseriocomicRoman
novel,ahybridsiteoflaughter,opentime,andcourage.”
ProfessorCarylEmerson,PrincetonUniversity
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Bust of Janus surrounded by strapwork, from the series ‘Deorum dearumque,’
asetofimagesofdeitiesaftercoinsinthecollectionofAbrahamOrtelius,1573.
PossiblyafterHYPERLINK“https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?
q=Gerard%20van%20Groeningen&perPage=20&sortBy=Relevance&offset=0&
pageSize=0”GerardvanGroeningen.BequestofPhyllisMassar,2011.Metropolitan
MuseumofArt.Inv.2012.136.341.2.Publicdomain.
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Inventing the Novel
Bakhtin and Petronius Face to Face
R. Bracht Branham
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©R.BrachtBranham2019
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LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2019949834
ISBN 978–0–19–884126–5
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ForGarySaulMorsonandCarylEmerson,withoutwhose
intellectualgenerosityIwouldnothavelearnedwhatit
meansto“gotoofar”withBakhtin.
ForGarethSchmeling,whohasfollowedPetronius’s
labyrinthfurtherthananyoneelse.
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■ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Anybookisacollaborativeeffort,especiallyifittakesasmanyyearsas
thisonehas.I’mgratefultoBillArrowsmithandBrianReardonfortheir
warmresponsestoearlyattemptsattranslatingPetronius,whichultim-
atelyledtothisbook.Initslaterstages,thetypescripthadthebenefitof
somesuperbreaders:TimWhitmarsh,DavidKonstan,MariaPlaza,and
TomWalsh.Ialsowanttothankmyresearchassistantsforhelpingme
turn my illegible manuscripts into a finished typescript: Jennifer Lobo-
Meeks, Susanna Parrish, Laura Walsh, Ashley Eckhardt, and Ian Mac-
Gillivray. Last but not least I want to thank those institutions that
supported my work on the book: the Institute for Advanced Study,
School of Historical Studies; the Stanford Humanities Center; and the
EmoryUniversityResearchCommitteeandtheFoxCenterforHuman-
isticInquiry.
