Includes bibliographical references (p. [323]-332) and indexes.

Preliminary Material / W.H. Keulen -- Introduction / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter One. Gellius the roman educationalist / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Two. Memory and authority / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Three. Saturnalian licence and socratic irony / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Four. Favorinus as a ‘comic authority figure’ / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Five. Exposing his own infamy: Avarice and unmanliness / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Six. Demonstration and refutation: ‘Investigational rhetoric’ / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Seven. Favorinus’ controversial authority / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Eight. The imperial context of Gellius’ authority / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Nine. Gellius’ symbouleutic authority / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Ten. Comparative judgments in roman sites of memory / W.H. Keulen -- Chapter Eleven. Comparative judgments in greek sites of memory / W.H. Keulen -- Conclusion: Constructing cultural and political continuity / W.H. Keulen -- Bibliography / W.H. Keulen -- Index locorum / W.H. Keulen -- Index nominum et rerum / W.H. Keulen -- Index verborum latinorum et graecorum / W.H. Keulen -- Supplements to Mnemosyne / W.H. Keulen.

Available to subscribing member institutions only.

This monograph presents an original portrait of the second-century miscellanist Aulus Gellius, based on a detailed reading of Attic Nights against its contemporary background. Highlighting Gellius’ use of humour and irony in his portrayals of controversial celebrities such as Favorinus and Herodes Atticus, the book provides a necessary corrective to interpretations of Gellius as an uncritical philhellene or an apolitical bookworm. Distinguishing Gellius’ various literary personae (the youthful sectator, the independent researcher, the mature writer and adviser), the book uncovers the many-layered sophistication of Gellius’ self-presentation. Noting previously unrecognised allusions to literary works and contemporary events, it offers a fresh perspective on Gellius as a satirical writer, whose Roman cultural programme reflects the ambiguities and complexities of Antonine intellectual life.