Paradoxography is a genre of classical literature which deals with the occurrence of abnormal or inexplicable phenomena of the natural or human worlds ( Latin mirabilia , 'marvels, miracles'). The term paradoxographos (paradoxographer) was coined by Tzetzes .
8-518: Early surviving examples of the genre include: It is believed that the content of the pseudo-Aristotelian On Marvellous Things Heard ( De mirabilibus auscultationibus ) originated in the Hellenistic period , while the final form reflects centuries of expansion at least as recent as the second century of the Christian era. Phlegon of Tralles 's Book of Marvels , which dates from the 2nd century CE,
16-603: A hundred Pseudo-Aristotelian works were in circulation. These can be separated into three groups based on the original language used for the work, namely Latin , Greek or Arabic . The category of Latin works is the smallest, while the Arabic works are most numerous. Many Arabic works were translated to Latin in the Middle Ages. The majority of these cover occult subjects, such as alchemy , astrology , chiromancy and physiognomy . Others treated Greek philosophical subjects, more often
24-533: A work guaranteed it a certain amount of respect and acceptance, since Aristotle was regarded as one of the most authoritative ancient writers for the learned men of both Christian Europe and the Muslim Arab lands . It is generally not clear whether the attribution to Aristotle of a later work was done by its own author or by others who sought to popularize such works by using his name. In the Middle Ages , more than
32-450: Is a general cognomen for authors of philosophical or medical treatises who attributed their work to the Greek philosopher Aristotle , or whose work was later attributed to him by others. Such falsely attributed works are known as pseudepigrapha . The term Corpus Aristotelicum covers both the authentic and spurious works of Aristotle. The first Pseudo-Aristotelian works were produced by
40-402: Is perhaps the most famous example of the genre, including various stories of human abnormalities. Phlegon's brief accounts of prodigies and wonders include ghost stories, accounts of monstrous births, strange animals like centaurs, hermaphrodites, giant skeletons and prophesying heads. Phlegon's writing is characterised by brief and forthright description, as well as a tongue-in-cheek insistence on
48-543: The Platonic and neoplatonic schools rather than the thought of Aristotle. The Arabic Secretum Secretorum was by far the most popular Pseudo-Aristotelian work and was even more widely diffused than any of the authentic works of Aristotle. The release of Pseudo-Aristotelian works continued for long after the Middle Ages. Aristotle's Masterpiece was a sex manual which published first in 1684 and became very popular in England . It
56-464: The members of the Peripatetic school , which was founded by Aristotle. However, many more works were written much later, during the Middle Ages . Because Aristotle had produced so many works on such a variety of subjects, it was possible for writers in many different contexts—notably medieval Europeans , North Africans and Arabs —to write a work and ascribe it to Aristotle. Attaching his name to such
64-597: The veracity of his claims. Other works of this genre in Greek include Heraclitus the Paradoxographer 's Περὶ Ἀπίστων ("On Incredible Things", c. 1st or 2nd century CE) and Claudius Aelianus 's On the Nature of Animals (3rd century CE). In Latin literature , both Marcus Terentius Varro and Cicero wrote works on admiranda ("marvelous things"), which do not survive. Pseudo-Aristotle Pseudo-Aristotle
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