Thucydides’ War Narrative: A Structural Study

As a sustained analysis of the connections between narrative structure and meaning in the History of the Peloponnesian War, Carolyn Dewald’s study revolves around a curious aspect of Thucydides’ work: the first ten years of the war’s history are formed on principles quite different from those shaping the years that follow. Although aspects of this change in style have been recognized in previous scholarship, Dewald has rigorously analyzed how its various elements are structured, used, and related to each other. Her study argues that these changes in style and organization reflect how Thucydides’ own understanding of the war changed over time. Throughout, however, the History’s narrative structure bears witness to Thucydides’ dialogic efforts to depict the complexities of rational choice and behaviour on the part of the war’s combatants, as well as his own authorial interest in accuracy of representation.

Publisher: University of California Press
Date Published: 2006
Book Condition: Near fine hardcover in a very good dust jacket showing minor surface and edge wear. An unmarked copy internally.