The Cambridge Companion to Plutarch

Engaging introduction by leading scholars to the many aspects of Plutarch's numerous and varied works and their subsequent reception.

Plutarch is one of the most prolific and important writers from antiquity. This volume provides an engaging introduction to all aspects of his work, treating both the Parallel Lives and the essays known collectively as Moralia. It also includes an introduction to their substantial and important reception history.Plutarch is one of the most prolific and important writers from antiquity. His Parallel Lives continue to be an invaluable historical source, and the numerous essays in his Moralia, covering everything from marriage to the Delphic Oracle, are crucial evidence for ancient philosophy and cultural history. This volume provides an engaging introduction to all aspects of his work, including his method and purpose in writing the Lives, his attitudes toward daily life and intimate relations, his thoughts on citizenship and government, his relationship to Plato and the second Sophistic, and his conception of foreign or 'other'. Attention is also paid to his style and rhetoric. Plutarch's works have also been important in subsequent periods, and an introduction to their reception history in Byzantium, Italy, England, Spain, and France is provided. A distinguished team of contributors together helps the reader begin to navigate this most varied and fascinating of writers.