A.C. Purves, Space and Time in Ancient Greek Narrative - Other Literary Studies

French Literature Reviews - 2026

A.C. Purves, Space and Time in Ancient Greek Narrative
Other Literary Studies

Alex C. Purves, Space and Time in Ancient Greek Narrative. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Pp. xi, 273.

  • ISBN 9780521190985.
  • $85.00.

Review by Jacqueline Klooster (Universiteit van Amsterdam) in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.10.69.

Online excerpt on the publisher's website, on Google Books, and on Amazon.com.

Publisher's description:

In this wide-ranging survey of ancient Greek narrative from archaic epic to classical prose, Alex Purves shows how stories unfold in space as well as in time. She traces a shift in authorial perspective, from a godlike overview to the more focused outlook of human beings caught up in a developing plot, inspired by advances in cartography, travel, and geometry. Her analysis of the temporal and spatial dimensions of ancient narrative leads to new interpretations of important texts by Homer, Herodotus, and Xenophon, among others, showing previously unnoticed connections between epic and prose. Drawing on the methods of classical philology, narrative theory, and cultural geography, Purves recovers a poetics of spatial representation that lies at the core of the Greeks' conception of their plots.

Table of contents:

Introduction: the perfect surveyor

1. The Eusynoptic Iliad: visualizing space and movement in the poem

2. Paths and measures: epic space and the Odyssey

3. The world in the hand: Anaximander, Pherecydes, and the invention of cartography

4. Map and narrative: Herodotus' Histories

5. Losing the way home: Xenophon's Anabasis

6. Finding (things at) home: Xenophon's Oeconomicus.

Alex C. Purves examines the evolution of spatial and temporal representation in ancient Greek literature, transitioning from archaic epic poetry to classical prose. Drawing on classical philology, narrative theory, and cultural geography, the author traces how storytelling perspectives shifted from an omniscient divine overview to the restricted viewpoints of human travelers and characters. This intellectual and formal transition reflects broader historical developments in geometry, cartography, and early geographical exploration.

The book offers close readings of foundational texts by authors such as Homer, Herodotus, and Xenophon, illuminating unexpected literary connections between epic poetry and early prose writing. Scholars and students of classical literature, narrative theory, and the humanities will find this study a valuable resource for understanding how ancient writers conceived of geography, movement, and plot structure. It helps readers rethink the visual and spatial dimensions that shape ancient storytelling traditions.