Abstract:
No study of violence against women in Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon has yet
focussed on the male perpetrators of that violence. I contend that the novel depicts
male perpetrators as failing to live up to the masculine ideal, ‘othering’ them from
traditional masculinity, and accompanying positions of power, within the novel.
This allows the perpetrators to represent a male whose masculinity is conflicted due
to shifting notions of masculinity, resulting in a sense of insecurity and powerlessness
that is sometimes compensated for with violence against women. The novel
invites male readers to identify with these perpetrators temporarily, thus allowing
them a brief respite from their own concerns about masculinity and power by
enjoying the effects of this violence.
