Conference Presentations by Mengzhen Yue
“Translating Ancient Greek Texts in China (1950s-1960s): A ‘Transnational’ Practice,” invited talk at the Transnational Humanities: Concept and Praxis, Humanities Institute, University College Dublin, February 19, 2021.
Who are the other? Blurred political boundary between the Greeks and Persians in Isocrates
In contemporary works dealing with Greek identity in the fifth and fourth centuries, the question... more In contemporary works dealing with Greek identity in the fifth and fourth centuries, the question of how the Greeks, through their portrayal of the ‘other’, defined their own identity is impossible to avoid. Although scholars have noted the ambiguous boundaries between Greeks and non-Greeks in ancient literature like tragedy and visual arts, fourth-century BCE rhetor Isocrates’ political speeches still stand as the classic works that represent a rigid Greek-barbarian antithesis. This paper, however, argues that the political boundaries between Greeks and non-Greeks in Isocrates is blurred by offering a case study on the rhetor’s rhetorical representation of a negative Persian image in his speeches such as Panegyricus, To Philip, and Panathenaicus. Through an examination of the rhetorical methods, concepts and languages that Isocrates used to represent Persian political behaviours and their military weakness, the paper demonstrates that the persuasive power of the negative depiction of the Persians is predicated upon cultural preconceptions ‘shared’ between Isocrates and his imagined Greek audience, which complies with the concept of ‘systematic differentiation’, that is a process of representing another system according to the norms, customs, and social values inherent to one’s own. The fact that the cultural preconceptions of the Persians, rooted in Greek social and cultural norms, in turn, suggests that Isocrates’ language and paradigms of behaviours in presenting the barbaric Persians are equally applicable to his representation of imperialist behaviours conducted by Greek powerful states like Athens, Sparta and Thebes. Thus, Isocrates’ Greeks are transferred into the sphere of the other, becoming the un-Greek.
The Elusive Other: Isocrates on the Triballians and Leucanians in On the Peace 50 and Panathenaicus 227, The 11th Japan-Korea-China Symposium on Ancient European History. Control and Subordination in the Ancient Mediterranean World. Tokyo, Sept. 15-16, 2017
Autochthony and Athenian identity: Isocrates’ historical narrative in the Panegyricus 21-67 (participation in the panel ‘Valuing Past in Isocrates’ politikoi logoi’ (panel convener), Classical Association Annual Conference (UK), Canterbury, April 26-29, 2017.)
Isocrates is known for his predilection for the remote past. The nature of epideictic rhetoric an... more Isocrates is known for his predilection for the remote past. The nature of epideictic rhetoric and Isocrates’ Panhellenic readership seem to contribute to this (Clarke 2008; Grethlein 2014). This paper studies Isocrates’ encomiastic narrative of the remote past of Athens and his use of Attic autochthony as a rhetorical figure in the Panegyricus 21-67. Here Isocrates draws on the topoi from the tradition of the epitaphioi logoi to thematically elaborate Athenian civic and military euergesia for the Greeks, but he reshapes them in a subtler chronological order starting with the myth of Attic autochthony (24-25), followed by the Eleusinian Mysteries (28-33), the Ionian immigration (34-37), the Athenian contribution to the constitution (38-42), festivals (43-46) and education (47-50), as well as the myths of Heracles and Adrastus (54-65). By focusing on how the topoi are linked, I shall argue that Isocrates narrates Athenian euergesia in a deliberate sequence to legitimate the current Athenian hegemonic claim over Sparta. Moreover, I suggest that his use of the autochthonous myth not only extends the Athenian past into time immemorial, but the narrative sequence, that is that the Ionian immigration and establishment of Spartan kingship came after Attic autochthony, downplays Ionian and Spartan identities.
" You have examples from your own family " : The Greekness of Philip II in Isocrates' To Philip, PGWiP, London, March 17, 2017
This paper studies Isocrates’ perception of Philip II’s Greekness and the use of two exempla, Her... more This paper studies Isocrates’ perception of Philip II’s Greekness and the use of two exempla, Heracles and Perdiccas, in the To Philip. In the discourse, Isocrates mentions Philip’s two ancestors Heracles and Perdiccas, one was the mythical ancestor of Macedonian royal family, the other was viewed as the founder of Macedonian dynasty. Scholars generally agree that the alleged Argive origin was originally a Macedonian self-representation and became current in fifth and fourth century. In this paper, I shall make a comparison between Herodotus and Isocrates’ narrative of Perdiccas. Herodotus is our earliest extant source for the Macedonian royal Argive origin. He records that Perdiccas, son of Temenus, fled from Argos and became the founder of tyrannis over the Macedonians (Hdt. 8.137.1). Isocrates probably draws on Herodotus’ story of Perdiccas but deliberately avoids the terms tyrannis and tyrannos. Conspicuously, Isocrates emphasises Perdiccas’ avoidance of a despotic rule over the ethnically same people to eliminate Macedonian imperialism. Moreover, Isocrates’ mention of Heracles and Perdiccas has specific rhetorical and moral functions. He renders Greek values to the two figurers and offers them as domestic exempla (oikeia paradeigmata) for Philip to mimic. The mention of Heraclean myth in 32-34 links the major Greek cities Athens, Argos, Sparta and Thebes with Philip through euergesia: Philip owes a debt to the four cities and shall pay back the debt by reconciling them. In balancing sections 32-34, Isocrates elaborates Heracles’ Trojan expedition in sections 111-112 to appeal Philip to launch a new barbarian war. The overall effect of the two exempla aims at diverting Philip’s power to a war with the barbarians.
Greek Identity and Hadrian’s Panhellenion
The Narratological Function of ἀρχή in Isocrates’ Panegyricus (AMPAL 2016, Oxford, 20-21 Sept. 2016).docx
This paper studies the narratological function of Isocrates’ repetition of the word ἀρχή in his s... more This paper studies the narratological function of Isocrates’ repetition of the word ἀρχή in his speech the Panegyricus (written c. 380 B.C.). Isocrates is known for using ambiguous words and the term ἀρχή would seem to be one of these. In the Rhetorica, when Aristotle discusses τὰ ἀστεῖα, ‘witty’ and ‘successful’ phrases, he gives the example of Isocrates’ pun on ἀρχή (5.61; 8.101) to explain successful applications of ambiguious words (Rhetorica 1412b). Modern scholars have long discussed the political meanings of ἀρχή together with ἡγεμονία in relation to Isocrates’ notion of imperialism, but have paid relatively little attention to the word’s narratological function. In this paper, I will study how Isocrates deliberately puns on the word’s two meanings of ‘beginning’ and ‘leadership’ to sew together smoothly the speech’s two themes, that is praising Athens (28-128) and urging on a new campaign against Persia (133-169). I will examine how Isocrates uses the word ἀρχή in the crucial transitional sections (cf. 15, 23-25, 119-128) and what effect it creates. At the start (15), the rhetor uses ἀρχή to set the speech’s main themes and then starts his narrative of Athenian history with various synonyms of ἀρχή in the first half of the speech to praise Athens’ supremacy over Sparta. The important sections are 119-128, where Isocrates’ narrative of Athenian history moves from the remote past to the most recent event of the King’s Peace. I will show how Isocrates here combines different rhetorical devices, like antanaclasia, rhetorical questions, and also ‘past-present’ contrast to instigate audience’s emotions, which prepares his change of topic to a campaign against Persia. I will argue that ἀρχή in the Panegyricus not only conveys political connotations but also frames the themes into a coherent argumentation.
Papers by Mengzhen Yue
Patriotism and Resistance through Translation: Aeschylus’s Persae and Ancient Greek Past in Wartime China
Classical Receptions Journal, 2025
This article analyses the first Chinese translation of Aeschylus’s Persae by Luo Niansheng, initi... more This article analyses the first Chinese translation of Aeschylus’s Persae by Luo Niansheng, initially published in 1936, a pivotal year in China’s modern history. The politically charged 1930s propelled Luo to frame the play primarily as a patriotic text, intended to inspire his Chinese readers during the ongoing war of resistance against Japan. His translations of Greek tragedy and adaptations of Greek history bridged the ancient Greek past with modern Chinese sociopolitical realities, reflecting his belief in the ‘shared’ experiences between ancient Greece and modern China. Through scholars like Hu Shi, Luo participated in a national translation scheme that used Greek history and culture to foster Chinese enlightenment, with institutional support and the rise of public media facilitating the dissemination of his translation. The article also explores Said’s concept of Orientalism, questioning whether Luo’s translation mirrors Orientalist perspectives or offers a distinctly Chinese viewpoint. It argues that Luo’s use of neologisms and his adaptation of key terms within the Chinese cultural framework highlight the complex interplay between his translation strategies and their impact on Chinese readers.
Journal of Ancient Civilisations, 2016
The labels “Hellenes” and “Hellas” are often considered to be collective names for the Greeks and... more The labels “Hellenes” and “Hellas” are often considered to be collective names for the Greeks and have a close connection with the term “Panhellenes.” This article studies the process of naming the Greeks in the Archaic period and the relationship between these collective names and the notion of Panhellenism. By a literary and etymological examination of the relevant sources, it suggests that the designation “Hellenes” probably did not evolve from that of “Panhellenes” and that the terms “Hellenes” and “Hellas,” but not “Panhellenes,” probably have generic significance in the sixth century. Furthermore, with the Olympic Games and the Hellenion, a Greek sanctuary in Naucratis, as two case studies, the article shows the complexity of the development of Greek identification. On the one hand, collective names like “Hellenes” and “Hellas” have a centripetal force on trans-regional occasions, and on the other, those events also feature competition, privilege and express civic identities of both individual and community, which seems to be divisive.
Thesis Chapters by Mengzhen Yue
Panhellenism and Greek Identity in Isocrates
Book Reviews by Mengzhen Yue
The Classical Journal, 2021
Review of Concepts and Functions of Philhellenism: Aspects of a Transcultural Movement，edited by Vöhler, Martin, Stella Alekou, and Miltos Pechlivanos (Berlin, 2021)
Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2021
Review of Rulers and ruled in ancient Greece, Rome, and China, edited by Hans Beck, Griet Vankeerberghen (Cambridge, 2021)
Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2022
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Conference Presentations by Mengzhen Yue
Papers by Mengzhen Yue
Thesis Chapters by Mengzhen Yue
Book Reviews by Mengzhen Yue