The Dramatic Simile of Life.

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Altersbedingt vergilbt, sonst guter Zustand / Yellowed due to age, otherwise in good condition. - PREFACE The present paper has developed as a counterfoil to an earlier, yet unpublished, study of Lucian as a source of technical information on the theatre of his period. Indeed, in the course of the examination of relevant passages in that sophist and his contemporaries, the writer grew more and more curious to find to what extent Lucian�s indulgence in similes and metaphors drawn from the theatre was the result of a direct contact with stage people, as argued by Householder1, or due to an adherence to established literary conventions�. He then concluded that, whereas scenic figures probably came to Lucian by way of the rhetorical schools, popular philosophers and earlier writers, Lucian�s own tastes as well as his individual technique are mainly responsible for his extensive use of the figures. But, at the same time, many of his comparisons, whatever their ultimate sponsorship, probably took shape and were brought up-to-date to meet current stage practices. Other references, however, sound totally bookish and anachronistic�. It is no easy task to trace the forms of stage comparison back to their sources, and try to classify the former into groups of themes.