Ghosts stories in the Greek novel: a typology attempt

Abstract

This chapter offers a collection of texts belonging to ancient Greek novels dealing with ghosts, either in embedded tales or in episodes, both in extant complete novels and in papyri fragments. We will analyse nine texts and quote other parallels from both contemporary Greek and Latin literature. In our conclusions we will try to distinguish some of their types according to categories such as: tale enunciation, authentic and false ghosts, terminology, and physical description. Finally, we will remark on the rhetorical character of these stories.