Plutarch’s Life of Alcibiades: Story, Text and Moralism

Verdegem (literary studies, Katholieke U. Leuven, The Netherlands) offers a running commentary on Greek philosopher and biographer Plutarch's (46-120) biography of Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades (450-404 BC). He examines how this particular work functions within the larger moral project of Plutarch's Parallel Lives, and casts light on the compositional and narrative techniques, distinguishing between the narrative text and the underlying story. Among his topics are a difficult character, the ascent to power, the art of adaptation, fighting his way back, and a tragic downfall. Distributed in the US by Cornell University Press. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)