The Wreckage of Agathon (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Gardner
- First Published: 1970
- Type of Plot: Philosophical pseudohistory
- Time of Work: The sixth century
- Setting: Sparta, ancient Greece
- Principal Characters: Agathon, Demodokos, Tuka, Iona, Dorkis
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction, Philosophical realism
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Suffering, Philosophy or philosophers, Prisons, Revolutions, Prophecy or prophets, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people
- Locales: Greece, Sparta, ancient
The Novel
The action of the novel encompasses Agathon’s imprisonment for his presumed involvement in the rebellion of the Helots against the Spartan tyrant Lykourgos, his escape at the hands of the Helot rebels, and his subsequent death from plague in the Helot headquarters, a commandeered tomb turned infirmary. An epilogue to the life and action of the novel is provided when Peeker is sent by the Helots to Athens to give Tuka the scrolls that both he and Agathon produced during their imprisonment, the scrolls that comprise the content of the novel.
The form of the...
[The entire page is 2642 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
