Abstract
In the Greek Romances by Achilles Tatius (Leucippe and Clitophon) and Heliodorus (An Ethiopian Tale), the virginity of the central heroine is not only central, but curiously problematized. In this article I explore the ways that these two novelists construct the plot of Romance around the tension between the heroine's physical integrity, and the reader's desire to know about her sexual experience. Both authors display considerable cunning in maintaining this tension, ultimately defining virginity as a state which can never be fully known, except in the moment of its loss.
Repository Citation
Ormand, Kirk. 2010. "Testing Virginity in Achilles Tatius and Heliodorus." Ramus 39: 160-197.
Publisher
Aureal Publications
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Publication Title
Ramus: Critical Studies in Greek and Roman Literature
Department
Classics
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Greek Romances
Document Version
post-print
Language
English
Format
text
