7 - Travel

Summary

A recent volume which attempts, as this one does, to provide readers with a broad survey of the ancient novel includes in its final chapter a set of maps traversed by bold-faced lines. The maps generally show the eastern Mediterranean and Near East, and the lines represent the routes followed by the heroes and heroines of the extant novels (as well as of several epics and other narratives) as they roam back and forth, tempest-tossed, across that expanse. These maps form a curious supplement to a study of a literary genre, but one which makes sense given the degree to which this genre relies on a sense of place for its aesthetic effects. 'Travel is such a delineating feature of the ancient novels (except for Longus and Apuleius) that we felt obliged to highlight [the routes of their characters]' remarks the editor, Gareth Schmeling, in his preface, adding his hope that such maps will help readers zero in on the places 'which ancient writers considered fascinating, exotic, enchanting or mysterious enough to warrant visits by their heroes and heroines'. The following discussion takes its cue from Schmeling's words and attempts to supplement, in a verbal rather than pictorial medium, the map included with the present volume.