Gellius’ strategies of reading (Gellius): Miscellany and the active reader in noctes atticae book 2

Abstract

This article challenges Gellius’ assertions about the haphazard nature of the collection and its random arrangement. Instead, it suggests that Gellius introduces in the Preface a particular mode of reading with which he intends his audience to interact with the Noctes Atticae; this critical practice enables the reader to appreciate the manner in which Gellius has strategically connected sequences of chapters in ways that resonate against one another. In so doing, he intends to foster the development of an active reading practice in his audience as part of the educative program of his work. As a test case of this methodology, the article presents a reading of chapters that compose the final third of the second book of the Noctes Atticae (2.20–30), in which several works and authors are cited repeatedly in different contexts. Gellius intends for his reader to recognize these repetitions, which offer challenges to authoritative figures such as Varro and illustrate the ways in which different texts can be employed as evidence. In constructing his text in this way, Gellius leads his reader through a didactic exercise, encouraging his critical reading practice as well as his understanding of the texts cited throughout the end of the book.