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home:texts_and_library:essays:the-true-history [2019/07/08 22:48] – [Contents] frankhome:texts_and_library:essays:the-true-history [2019/07/08 22:48] – [Introduction] frank
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 There is no doubt that //True History//is Lucian’s most famous and influential work. It has influenced works like More’s //Utopia// and Swift’s //Gulliver’s Travels//. //True History// masquerades as a clinical account of the travels of the narrator and his companions. The style, tone, and approach of //True History// is exceptionally true to the travel genre; however, it is with the content where Lucian makes his satirical intent manifest. The narrator travels to the moon and back, to different islands like the Island of Cheese and Island of the Damned; he meets a cast of strange, twisted characters throughout, some more fanciful than others. Underneath it all, Lucian is really questioning the idea of truth found in factual, non-fiction writing. On a meta level, Lucian is trying to show the impossibility of absolute truth in writing. If the purpose of satire is to improve the condition of a certain aspect of society, then Lucian is trying to call out some of the more grossly inaccurate worldly depictions in order to improve, all around, truth in literature, history, and entertainment. There is no doubt that //True History//is Lucian’s most famous and influential work. It has influenced works like More’s //Utopia// and Swift’s //Gulliver’s Travels//. //True History// masquerades as a clinical account of the travels of the narrator and his companions. The style, tone, and approach of //True History// is exceptionally true to the travel genre; however, it is with the content where Lucian makes his satirical intent manifest. The narrator travels to the moon and back, to different islands like the Island of Cheese and Island of the Damned; he meets a cast of strange, twisted characters throughout, some more fanciful than others. Underneath it all, Lucian is really questioning the idea of truth found in factual, non-fiction writing. On a meta level, Lucian is trying to show the impossibility of absolute truth in writing. If the purpose of satire is to improve the condition of a certain aspect of society, then Lucian is trying to call out some of the more grossly inaccurate worldly depictions in order to improve, all around, truth in literature, history, and entertainment.
  
-Frank Redmond – 2013 (1<sup>st</sup> Edition; 1.0) +  * Frank Redmond – 2013 (1<sup>st</sup> Edition; 1.0) 
- +  * Frank Redmond – 2015 (2<sup>nd</sup> Edition; 2.0) 
-Frank Redmond – 2015 (2<sup>nd</sup> Edition; 2.0) +  * Frank Redmond – 2016 (2<sup>nd</sup> Edition; 2.2) 
- +  * 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition (2015) modifications – Patched Introduction; fixed minor content bugs; added additional notes to Lucian text. 
-Frank Redmond – 2016 (2<sup>nd</sup> Edition; 2.2) +  * 2<sup>nd</sup> Edition (2016) modifications – Standardized citations; style updates.
- +
-2<sup>nd</sup> Edition (2015) modifications – Patched Introduction; fixed minor content bugs; added additional notes to Lucian text. +
- +
-2<sup>nd</sup> Edition (2016) modifications – Standardized citations; style updates.+
  
 ****True History Text and Commentary**** ****True History Text and Commentary****
home/texts_and_library/essays/the-true-history.txt · Last modified: 2019/07/08 22:51 by frank
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