Chariton's Chaereas and Callirhoe

by Chariton

Chaereas and Callirhoe . . . is the earliest Greek romantic novel the text of which has been completely preserved; hence it is among the first ancestors of modern European fiction. In this lively tale of adventure, a nobly born heroine is kidnapped across the seas from Syracuse to Asia Minor, where her beauty causes many complications and she is finally rescued by her dashing lover. This book in antiquity took the place of such stories as Dumas and Sabatini have written for later generations.

Genres: Classics

134 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1939

About the author

Chariton, (flourished 1st century ad, Aphrodisias, Caria, Asia Minor), Greek novelist, author of Chaereas and Callirhoë, probably the earliest fully extant romantic novel in Western literature. The romances of Chariton and of Achilles Tatius are the only ones preserved in a number of ancient papyri.

Reviews

[Miriam Bitango · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this ancient novel for my Greek studies class, so I thought I would add it into my list of completed books! I am reading this novel from B.P. Reardon’s Collected Ancient Greek Novels!

It was very interesting to read one of the earliest books and one of the first romances (written in the 1st century CEA; set in the 5th century BCE)! The story itself is quite comical, with a range of random occurrences all happening to Chaereas and Callirhoe at once, like being buried alive then stolen by a grave robber or everyone falling in love at first sight with Callirhoe! With this, it’s curious to look deeper at the text and try to understand the perspective of the author, Chariton. One of the main questions to ask when reading this novel is “what is the basis of marriage?” At times, it seems that even Chariton himself is unsure of the answer, suggesting that love and reason could be valid at the same time!!