Book review: Tim Duff, Plutarch’s Lives: Exploring Virtue and Vice. Oxford University Press, 1999

Literature Review , 2009 , 4 Pages , Grade: B

Philosophy - Philosophy of the Ancient World

This really entertaining and educating book, originated in Tim Duff’s dissertation from 1994, hence explores Plutarch’s Lives from the viewpoint of his moral agenda, and in the manner of an engaged reader, who is invited by Plutarch and his writings ‘to challenge and ponder’ (309) his own perspectives and moral headlines.

Table of Contents

• Part I: The Moralizing Program
• Plutarch’s Moral Purpose
• The Moralizing Function of Mimesis
• The Soul in the Lives
• Habituation and Education in Plutarch’s Lives
• Part II: Case Studies
• Pyrrhos & Marius
• Phokion & Cato Minor
• Lysander & Sulla
• Coriolanus & Alkibiades
• Part III: The Function of Synkresis
• The Role of Synkresis
• The Construction of Greek and Roman Identities

Objectives and Key Themes

Tim Duff's book, "Plutarch's Lives: Exploring Virtue and Vice," examines the moralizing program of Plutarch's Parallel Lives. The book's main objective is to explore the comparative structure of the Lives and how it contributes to Plutarch's moral agenda. Key themes in the book include:

• Plutarch’s concept of moralizing function in his biographies
• The role of mimesis in Plutarch’s Lives and its impact on the reader’s moral development
• The significance of the soul, education, and habituation in shaping virtue
• The complex and nuanced nature of Plutarch’s moralizing agenda and its application to diverse characters
• The function of synkresis in the Parallel Lives and its influence on the reader's evaluation of the characters

Chapter Summaries

The book is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different aspect of Plutarch’s moralizing program. Part I, "The Moralizing Program," establishes the theoretical framework for understanding Plutarch’s approach to biography. This part examines Plutarch’s conception of morality, highlighting its nuanced and individual nature. The chapter also explores the role of mimesis in Plutarch’s Lives and how it encourages readers to engage with the characters and their actions. Part II, "Case Studies," examines four pairs of biographies from the Parallel Lives: Pyrrhos & Marius, Phokion & Cato Minor, Lysander & Sulla, and Coriolanus & Alkibiades. Each pair represents a different moral lesson and illustrates the complexity and duality of Plutarch’s moralizing agenda. Part III, "The Function of Synkresis," explores the role of synkresis in the Parallel Lives. This part argues that synkresis serves to highlight the moral issues at play in the Lives and to encourage readers to actively evaluate the characters.

Keywords

The main keywords and focus topics of the book are: Plutarch's Lives, moralizing program, mimesis, virtue, vice, soul, education, habituation, synkresis, comparison, case studies, and reader engagement.

• College: Indiana University
• Grade: B
• Author: M.A. Diana Beuster (Author)
• Publication Year: 2009
• Pages: 4
• Catalog Number: V128670
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640384440
• Language: English
• Tags: Book, Duff, Plutarch’s, Lives, Exploring, Virtue, Vice, Oxford, University, Press