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PAUW, D.A., Karaktertekening by Ammianus Marcellinus. Drukkerij De Kempenaer, Oegstgeest, 1972. (III),180p. Theses. Sewn. Cardboard. With gift intention of the author on free endpaper. Diss.Rijksuniversiteit Leiden. 'This thesis, written in South-African Dutch, in a way supplements C.P.T. Naudé's thesis, 'Ammianus Marcellinus in die lig van die Antieke Geskiedskrijving' (...). The author answer questions such as: How does Ammianus treat his historical material? How does he arrange his material? What is his position in classical historiography?, etc. I think it is the great merit of Pauw's study that he has strictly confined himself to his subject. He tries, as far as this is possible, to find out how Ammianus delineated his characters, not whether he delineates them truthfully, and which direct and indirect methods he applies. This distinction between direct and indirect methods is very important. Both methods are subdivided and the results are statistically recorded. (...) One of the author's conclusions, which is very important (...), is that for describing a character direct and indirect methods are applied. Direct character celineations, revealing themselves above all in the necrologies and formal character sketches, are not summaries of the indirect character delineations, which occurs in various ways in the continuous narrative, but a supplement or partial repetition. So these two kinds of description should be combined to form a picture. (...) As a result of the intentional conciseness of Pauw's study we miss a comparison with the delineation of character in other contemporary (or near-contemporary) authors, especially the great church historians, whose works are founded on the classical literary tradition. (...) Final opinion: a good and useful piece of work.' (P. de JONGE in Mnemosyne, 1977, pp.98-100). € 30.00 (Antiquarian)