OUSEION - Memorial University of Newfoundland DAI

ARISTOXENOS AND PERIPA TETIC BIOGRAPHY 313
which is shaped by and revealed in his actions. 27 The consistency with
which Plutarch uses Peripatetic terms to describe his biographical
method and aims has led some scholars to conclude that Plutarch was
following a formalized Peripatetic theory of biography.28 Scholars are
no longer prepared to go that far. nor. in fact. are all bioi that have
come down to us so ethically oriented. This point can be easily illustrated
by comparing Plutarch's Demosthenes with the life of
Demosthenes in the Moralia (844b-848d). where one finds a complete
absence of ethical concerns.
Nor for that matter is the study of character the exclusive preserve
of bioi. On Plutarch's own admission. Thucydides and Philistos wrote
narratives that revealed character. Theopompos. according to ancient
critics like Dionysios of Halicarnassos (Pomp. 6.7). had the ability to
detect the motives of actors in history and reveal their apparent virtue
and undetected vice. 29 Motives most commonly attributed to his characters
are akrasia and philotimia. 30 and philotimia is a character trait
that Plutarch attributes to many heroes and illustrates in the narratives
of their lives. 31 But as far as we can tell. the ancients never regarded
the Philippika. which was a history centered on an individual and
whose very title might suggest biography. as anything but historyY
Perhaps it can be argued that Theopompos played an important role in
the development of biography. but that is a separate issue; what Theapompos
was up to was not biography as far as the ancients were concerned.
So subject matter alone is not enough to distinguish bioi from history.
Where the writer of bioi and the writer of historia parted company
were in the "larger elements of historical composition-speeches.
battles. geographical excursuses."33 Scale or size was the difference:
where historia described large battles. bioi included small events or'
abbreviated the account. where historia included speeches. bioi sayings.
34 where historia provided chronological development. bioi were
27 Leo (1901) 188: Hamilton (1999) xliv: Russell (1966) 144. (1995) 81-82. (1973)
105-106.
28 Dihle (1956) 63: d. Scardigli (1995) 10.
29 For a discussion of this famous evaluation see Shrimpton (1991) 21. and
Flower (1997) 170.
30 Flower (1997) 170-174: Shrirnpton (1991) 136-151.
3 1 Wardrnan (1974) 115-12.4: Russell (1973) 106.
3 2 Flower (1997) 149·
33 Russell (1966) 148. (1995) 87.
34 On small events and sayings as the biographer's counterpart to battles and
speeches see Wardrnan (1971) 254-256.