Commentary on the Pseudonymous Letters of Aeschines

By Zilong Guo

Through a comprehensive introduction and detailed commentary, Zilong Guo reappraises the letters attributed to the Attic orator Aeschines. These letters merit a place in Greek literature for their synthesis of preexisting literary forms. Letters 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 imitate the letters of Demosthenes in a manner akin to rhetorical exercises. Letters 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 exhibit features reminiscent of the epistolary fiction that flourished in the first centuries AD. Letter 4 is a prose paraphrase of Pindar's victory odes. Like other literary forgeries, these letters are both problematic and fascinating. Likely products of rhetorical culture, they nevertheless hold a unique place as early - and remarkably successful - examples of how literary and political trends were interwoven to (re)shape the Classical tradition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3161646886
• ISBN13: 9783161646881
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.