Brill's Companion to the Reception of Plutarch

The Greek biographer and philosopher Plutarch of Chaeronea (c. 45-125 AD) makes a fascinating case-study for reception studies not least because of his uniquely extensive and diverse afterlife. Brill?s Companion to the Reception of Plutarch offers the first comprehensive analysis of Plutarch?s rich reception history from the Roman Imperial period through Late Antiquity and Byzantium to the Renaissance, Enlightenment and the modern era. The thirty-seven chapters that make up this volume, written by a remarkable line-up of experts, explore the appreciation, contestation and creative appropriation of Plutarch himself, his thought and work in the history of literature across various cultures and intellectual traditions in Europe, America, North Africa, and the Middle East.

"This new companion to the reception of Plutarch is most welcome. The breadth of coverage in its thirty-seven chapters is unprecedented. (...) The depth of coverage is likewise unprecedented, for which it is all but required to have such a team of scholars to achieve this. (...) Some chapters are more synoptic, some more illustrative, some more engaging, but, as a set, the editors deserve praise for achieving their goal ?to encourage further research? (6) in the reception of Plutarch. (...) The result is a set of studies as multifaceted and varied as the Plutarchan corpus itself." - Brad L. Cook, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2020.08.17

"The volume?s most important achievement is clear: the advancement made with regard to Plutarch?s reception in Byzantium is spectacular and reflects the relatively recent burgeoning of Byzantine studies in terms of both methodology and available sources. [...] it is clear that this volume is leaps and bounds ahead of earlier scholarship both in the scope of material collected and in interpretative depth. Brill?s Companion to the Reception of Plutarch<7i> will undoubtedly stimulate further study of Plutarch?s reception, not only as a reference work, but also by inspiring new ways of approaching the rich afterlife of this unforgettable intellectual." - Bram Demulder, in: The Classical Review 71.2 350?352