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Declan Kennett's Reviews > Callirhoe
Callirhoe
by
by
â‘★{ 3 }★â‘
Arguably the earliest novel ever written, but certainly the oldest (extant) work of historical fiction, Chariton’s Callirhoe is at once a tumultuous tale of two star-crossed lovers who, like all good romances, are torn from one another and forced to embark on an odyssey in search of the other.
The central figure of the story is Callirhoe, a very beautiful and goddess-like woman, who is buried alive, abducted by pirates, and eventually sold into slavery—this all happens within the first third of the story. As the rest of the book unfolds, you the reader become privy to an incredibly dramatic sequence of events, bordering on reality tv level drama à la Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
However, this book is not without its faults. Being one of the earliest novels to exist, Chariton didn’t really have a firm framework from which to base his own plot development, therefore, he can be too quick to employ Fortune (or some other god) in order to move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this does make the story somewhat predictable in places.
But nevertheless, it was good fun to read and certainly intriguing to consider this novel in its historical context, especially Book 5.7 where Dionysius and Mithridates both give speeches, Mithridates� speech in the theatrical Asiatic style which is contrasted against Dionysius� cultivated Attic style.
Though it is incredibly old (approx. 2,000 years old), it is nowhere near as blocked-up and congested as you would imagine, so if you’re a fan of romance or adventure (or even historical fiction), give this little-known ancient Greek novel a go.
Arguably the earliest novel ever written, but certainly the oldest (extant) work of historical fiction, Chariton’s Callirhoe is at once a tumultuous tale of two star-crossed lovers who, like all good romances, are torn from one another and forced to embark on an odyssey in search of the other.
The central figure of the story is Callirhoe, a very beautiful and goddess-like woman, who is buried alive, abducted by pirates, and eventually sold into slavery—this all happens within the first third of the story. As the rest of the book unfolds, you the reader become privy to an incredibly dramatic sequence of events, bordering on reality tv level drama à la Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
However, this book is not without its faults. Being one of the earliest novels to exist, Chariton didn’t really have a firm framework from which to base his own plot development, therefore, he can be too quick to employ Fortune (or some other god) in order to move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this does make the story somewhat predictable in places.
But nevertheless, it was good fun to read and certainly intriguing to consider this novel in its historical context, especially Book 5.7 where Dionysius and Mithridates both give speeches, Mithridates� speech in the theatrical Asiatic style which is contrasted against Dionysius� cultivated Attic style.
Though it is incredibly old (approx. 2,000 years old), it is nowhere near as blocked-up and congested as you would imagine, so if you’re a fan of romance or adventure (or even historical fiction), give this little-known ancient Greek novel a go.
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