abstract
This paper looks at three ancient novels (Xenophon, Chariton and Heliodorus) to assess in them the problem of closure from a "prosaics" standpoint: that is, as an analysis that pays attention to the evolving sense of purpose and the way the very process of articulating a narrative is a dynamic of beginning and ending. Such a "prosaics" approach will focus less on an overarching unity in each text than to the heterogeneous forces and impulses that often serve as temporary trajectories for the unfolding of the novel and hence can often contribute to its lack of cohesion.
In Xenophon's Ephesian Tale, I reconsider the epitome theory and conclude that characteristics critics identify as indicative of excerption or contaminatio are actually symptomatic of the way novels are composed: by the recombination of and redeployment of traditional characters, events and plots. Xenophon's story reveals the kinds of problems novelists faced in beginning and ending a "novel" story properly.
In Chariton's Chaereas and Callirhoe, I assess the importance of the numerous authorial and character summaries in the novel, seeing them as gestures of plot-shaping, often enacted retrospectively, and thematizing the author's evolving sense of purpose.
In Heliodorus' An Ethiopian Tale, I look at the central book (Book 6), where there is a transition between the first and second phase of the novel. Numerous gestures of beginning and ending are visible at the moment when the author simultaneously tries to tie up loose ends and open up the next part of the story. This is not merely a set of technical problems, but relates to the author's attempt to conclude properly a story in which meaning and interpretation are repeatedly problematized.