Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-245) and indexes.

Preliminary Material / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Truth and Falsehood / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Allegory and the Journey for Knowledge / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Parody and Allusion / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- The Verae Historiae, Satire and Science Fiction / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- A Trip to the Moon / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Inside the Whale / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- The Land of the Dead / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Bibliography / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- General Index / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Index of Greek Words / Aristoula Georgiadou and David H. J. Larmour -- Supplements to Mnemosyne / J. M. Bremer , L. F. Janssen , H. Pinkster , H. W . Pleket , C. J. Ruijgh and P. H. Schrijvers.

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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.