The Lives of Others: counterfactual thinking in Graeco-Roman autobiographical literature in the IV-V centuries

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/Svmma2023.21.4

Keywords:

Autobiography, Counterfactual Thinking, Rhetorical Amplification, Libanius of Antioch, Augustine of Hippo

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the presence of counterfactual clauses in autobiographies from the late antique period in order to analyze their narratological function in two key works from the IV-V centuries: Autobiography by the sophist Libanius of Antioch and the Confessions by Augustine of Hippo. In order to do so, a short introduction to counterfactual thinking in the Graeco-Roman civilization will be provided; then, the two autobiographies will be analyzed through the lens of counterfactual thinking.

Published

2023-06-20

Issue

Section

Articles