Authorial Comments in Thucydides

This chapter addresses the functions of Thucydides' authorial comments, pointing to their value for the evaluation of characters and events, as well as to their potential for framing the beginning and end of narrative episodes. Authorial comments may also highlight mythological or ethnographic observations; this fact suggests that interpreters of Thucydides should not slight these topics in their overall appreciation of Thucydides' priorities. Finally, the chapter addresses the prominence of authorial comments in Book 8 of the History, arguing that Thucydides' presentation of the increasing fragmentation of Greece and of the conflicting interest of private individuals required firmer authorial control if it was not to become incoherent.