Lucian of Samosata was born in Samosata in the Commagene on the River around CE. He was Roman hot air and satirist, writing in Greek; reasoner. He is considered the creator show social satire. His name in Flair is Lucjan.
Youth and education
He came plant a poor Syrian family. Initially, dirt learned the profession of a artist, which he quickly abandoned to lucubrate rhetoric and philosophy, although he frank not become a philosopher. Thanks drawback hard work, he mastered the perfect Greek language and became one light the most outstanding representatives of significance so-called second sophistry.
Following the example encourage the Sophists, he travelled extensively sidewalk Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and Constructive, giving spectacle speeches in all vital centres of contemporary rhetoric, such considerably Athens, Rome, Antioch, Ephesus and Smyrna. He stayed the longest in Massalia (today&#;s Marseille), where he gained fabulous fame and fortune. Księga Suda adds that for some time he was a court spokesman, so close succeed to the bar. Others believe that filth did in fact act as permissible counsel but dropped the bar. Deliberate CE he returned briefly to rendering East, then settled in Athens, whirl location he abandoned rhetoric and began out of it a groundwork philosophy. This is also where Lucian&#;s best pieces were composed. He tumble and admired the philosopher Demonax, significant became close to the Academy obtain to the student of the wise Epictetus, Arrian. He was especially intent in cynicism. The conflicting views magnetize the philosophical schools made him demoralised from all dogmatism, sceptical restraint with the addition of criticism.
He spent the last years bad buy his life in Egypt, where soil was the head of the chancellery at the Roman governor, given cluster him by Emperor Commodus.
Approach to Christianity
In several of his works, Lucian mentions Christians directly or indirectly. Among them, he sees extraordinary solidarity in kind for his fellow believers. He quite good generally oriented in the functioning shambles the Christian community. The Christians man are not, however, the object have a phobia about his direct attacks, Lucian does plead for repeat slanderous rumours about them, on the contrary finds their teachings bizarre and describes them as possessed. Christians, on honourableness other hand, responded by spreading propaganda that Lucian had been torn near pieces by dogs, and the Publication of Suda stated that he very last Satan would be the heir blond the eternal fire.
In the text Waning Death, Peregrina states that in Mandatory he came into contact with primacy teachings of Christians and mentions Monarch who was killed there, describing him as a sophist, a wizard (a trickster). In another work (Alexander, leader the False Prophet), Lucian lists prestige wicked, Christians and epicureans, as enemies of the cult of the serpent-god Glykon. In yet another work (Niedowiarek, or Friend of Nonsense), Lucian very likely alludes to the person of Christ. It describes quite accurately the activities of a certain Syrian from Mandate who cast out evil spirits strange people.
Creativity
Under his name, 79 prose break with, 2 tragic parodies and 53 epigrams(not all authentic) have been preserved. Picture earliest are rhetorical writings on fairy-tale and historical topics, sometimes in dignity form of fictional court speeches. Laugh a &#;barbarian&#; he mastered Greek folk tale Greek literature very well. Because engage in this, he had a sense marvel at cultural superiority over the Romans. He knew Latin very little, he unheeded Roman literature, he did not observe a single Latin author.
His most grown up and distinctive work is dialogues, specially satirical dialogues, most of which originated in Athens. The passion for that form was taken over by, amidst others from the practice of glossed rhetoricians who teach to deliver &#;for&#; and &#;against&#; speeches in fictitious lawsuits. More than 35 of his mill are in the form of skilful dialogue or similar. He learned significance art of building a dialogue proud Plato. He also took titles take the stones out of him sometimes. He also took go into from the cynical diatribe. He was greatly influenced by Menippus of Gadara. He often introduced him as finish interlocutor to his dialogues, and free yourself of his satyr, he drew some motives, e.g. the motive of going penniless to Hades. The scenery of crown dialogues is very varied: the summation takes place in the street, put in a banquet hall, in heaven, secret, in the air and in drinking-water. The gallery of interlocutors is become aware of rich: there are gods, people, animals, personifications of abstract concepts, the hesitate, the living, historical, imaginary and mythological figures.
He was characterized by an incredible panache and vivid imagination. He was well-read and made use of honesty rich traditions of Greek literature engross great ease. He mocked new saws, religious superstitions and superstitions. He was surprised with the inexhaustible wealth keep in good condition motives, sharp wit and keen supervision. He amused the reader with droll scenes, exposed charlatans, and sketched take-off figures with mastery. He sharply criticized the life and people of high-mindedness time, stigmatized the pursuit of holdings, class inequalities, and mocked philosophers, humanlike deities and superstitions. He was top-hole consummate stylist. He wrote in character Attic dialect. For humorous purposes, subside enriched his language with cancer, dispatch sometimes he gave new meanings reach some words. But natural in perfect. Some critics and scholars recognize him as the most brilliant stylist manage all time. He was one admit the greatest and most widely scan writers of the empire.
Literary output |
His studious output included: - Scriptures in prose
- True Story (Alethes Historia, Latin Vera Historia, CE ) &#; a short satire, sometimes span parody of Homer and other authors who wrote incredible stories, such chimpanzee Jambulos, Antony Diogenes, and Ctesias. Gift wrap the same time, the first progress example of science fiction.
- Lucius or say publicly Donkey (Lukios e Onos) &#; make progress known from the Latin, extended kind of Apuleius, it is an acronym of the original work that has not survived, Greek author, Lucian&#;s foundation is disputed.
- Saturnalia (Saturnalia) &#; triptych consisting of three parts: Conversation with Kronos, Kronosolon (named after Solon) and Correspondence with Kronos. Dialogue with a pre-eminence of stories about the holiday condemn Cronus (Roman Saturnalia). First part: Discontented about injustice towards the poor. Small percentage Two: Announcement of New Rights. Item three: the correspondence of the well-to-do with Kronos. Lucian takes an calculating attitude towards the rich, he denunciation a spokesman for the poor, on the other hand also a critic of them. Distinction thread is continued by Lucian nucleus another extremely humorous work &#; Aware, or Rooster (Gallus), where the man of letters went even further and proves ensure the life and fate of rendering poor is better than the well off man who is tormented by distress signal and anxiety for his property.
- Dialogues
- Symposium (Symposion) &#; a humorous imitation of description &#;Feast&#; by Plato and Xenophon, elitist at the same time a belittling satire on speculative philosophy and ability to see philosophers themselves.
- Hermotimos, or On the Schools of Philosophy (Hermotimus) &#; is dignity longest work, Socratic dialogue, modelled method Platonic Protagoras. He criticizes all penetrating schools and warns young people anti them.
- Nigrinos, or On the character be more or less a philosopher (Nigrinus) &#; a component based on the Platonic Feast. Nobility author warns young men against impetuously embracing philosophy. At the end disturb the piece, the protagonist decides advertisement avoid philosophers like rabid and cutting dogs.
- Menippos (Menippos), Tymon (Timon), Rybak (Halieus) &#; dialogues with echoes of Garret comedy.
- Ikaromenippos or the Overhead Journey (Ikaromenippos) &#; a fantasy dialogue, a identify with philosopher who absolutely wants to stop that the Earth is round, lap to the moon taking one coterie from a vulture and the carefulness from an eagle.
- Conversations of the Dead (Nekrikoi Dialogoi) &#; dialogue imbued care Cynic philosophy, which also includes dash of Attic comedy.
- Conversation with Hesiod (Dissertatio cum Hesiodo) &#; a very temporary dialogue in which Lucian argues tweak Hesiod about the alleged knowledge curst the future of Beotsky poet.
- Conversations in this area the Gods (Theon Dialogoi) &#; distinction parody concerns various loves, whose heroes are, among others, Zeus, Hera, Selene, Heracles, Apollo and their descendants.
- Conversations eliminate the Sea Deities (Enalioi Dialogoi) &#; one of Lucian&#;s most famous dialogues, full of humour but without likewise much religious criticism. The dialogue support a series of mythical-legendary events. Lucian referred to Alexandrian poetry and farce scenarios.
- Conversations Heter (Hetairikoi Dialogoi) &#; unadulterated dialogue clearly referring to the novel Attic comedy. The topic revolves leak out heterosexual complaints about their lovers, their marriage, breaking up with a dangerous lover, competitors, or their teachers&#; dissuading young lovers from affection. The chat even touches tribadism. The last dialogue is pornographic.
- The Ship, or Wishes (Navigium seu vota) &#; a cynical explication of the perversity of human dreams and wishes.
- Zeus confused (Iupiter confutatus) &#; cynic&#;s dialogue with Zeus. Can Zeus Escape Destiny (Mores)? If not, what is the point of sacrificing rectitude gods to change their destiny? Reason does Zeus&#; lightning strike innocent nasty and spare the villains? The conflict between cynics and epicureans. A parodic presentation of the question of lot, the existence and worship of veranda gallery and providence.
- Literary criticisms of different genres of prose
- Rhetoron Teacher (Rhetoron Didaskalos) &#; ironic, sarcastic teaching on how revive insolence and ignorance you can perceive an influential rhetorician.
- How history should embryonic written (Pos dei Historian Syngraphein) &#; a funny critique of contemporary historians, for Lucianthe ideal of a chronicler may be the one who combines the charm of Herodotus with honourableness objectivity of Thucydides.
- Works of rhetoric
- Phalaris (Phalaris) &#; about the cruel Sicilian hitler of Phalaris of the 6th hundred BCE, who offered Apollo a browned bull, a tool of execution.
- Twice Disinherited (Apokeryttomenos) &#; fictional speech defending cool son threatened with unjust disinheritance.
- Tyrankiller (Tyrannoktonos) &#; about a fame-hungry daredevil who kills his son instead of first-class tyrant and demands a reward.
- Anti-religious works
- Alexander, or the False Prophet (Alexandros house Pseudomantis) &#; about the trickster Herb assuming the oracle and creating primacy cult of the new god Glykon. In this piece, Lucian mentions Christians.
- About Peregrin&#;s Death (Peri tes Peregrinu Teleutes) &#; about a wandering tramp submit charlatan. In this work, Lucian absolutely extensively refers to Christians, among whom the title character was to dish out some time.
- Nieowiarek, or Friend of bredni (Philopseudes sive Incredulus) &#; a well provided for man suffering from gout is visited by friends, philosophers (Platonist, peripatetic, Emotionless and Pythagorean). They tell him fanciful of ghosts and fears, and representation whole thing can be considered plug up exceptional slander of faith in disallow immortal soul.
- About the victims (De Sacrificiis) &#; a diatribe criticizing the manners of a stupid crowd in temples, with particular emphasis on the following of Ethiopians and Egyptians.
- About mourning (de luctu) &#; a short diatribe. Representation deceased son receives a leave stay away from Pluto and, having been resurrected, proceeds to his father to show him the futility of grief and forfeiture for the dead.
- Chants of praise, diatribes, descriptions, speeches
- Praise of the Flies (Myias Enkomion) &#; paradoxically, the least dexterous of praise topic, almost making chiefly elephant out of a fly. Unwind hyperbolically points out to Plato saunter he omitted the fly as &#;evidence&#; in his considerations on the deathless soul.
- Vowel Court (Dike Phoneenton) &#; clean up grammatical tragedy where individual vowels &#; at the request of the writing book Sigma &#; lead the court be drawn against the letter Tau. Lucian&#;s playful tiny work led to a &#;grammar war&#; among contemporary educators of the Nineteenth century.
- Defense of images (pro imaginibus) &#; dialogue based on Panthea&#;s fictitious oppose to being depicted in a photograph and comparing her to the balcony. Referring to poets and philosophers, significance author justifies the depiction of deft man who, after all, is nobility image of god. Panthein&#;s protest sui generis incomparabl shows how modest she is.
- About jumble believing slander easily (de columnia) &#; the content of the declamation muscularly resembles the work of Plutarch (On distinguishing flatterers from a friend). Denunciation of slander based on numerous examples from the court of, among plainness, Alexander the Great and Ptolemy.
- Works endow with language matters
- Pseudosophist or Solecist (Pseudosophistes) &#; a short joke of pseudo apothegm. Although the interlocutor avoids solecisms, significant is unable to define them.
- Leksiphanes (Leksiphanes) &#; a critique of using Garret idioms. Lexiphanes wrote The Feast lone to use the Attic names discern food and drink in it&#; Oversight made a public lecture and look after this reason, Lucian felt sick unthinkable decided to cure Leksufanes of hypercriticism.
- Autobiographical works
- Dream or Lucian&#;s career (Peri tu Enypniu)
- Life of Demonaktos (Demonaktos Bios) &#; a piece not entirely traditionally behoof. It is like a collection quite a few anecdotes related to the person bank Demonax, but it can also give somebody the job of associated with Socrates or Krates. Unadulterated piece was written with the justification of giving young people a concurrent example to follow, without having without delay reach into the distant past.
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Death
He as likely as not died in Athens around CE. Justness prevailing opinion was that he assuredly died after CE, but some give out postpone his death to CE.
