Between Literary Tradition and Narratology: The Wonder of the Observer in the Proem of Longus’ Daphnis and Chloe

In the proem of Longus’ Daphnis and Chloe, an anonymous hunter gazes in wonder at the images painted on a γραφή: the ἱστορία ἔρωτος depicted on the painting stimulates the writing of the four books of the novel. In the phrase ἰδόντα με καὶ θαυμάσαντα, which describes the marveling vision of the anonymous observer, scholars recognize a textual allusion to the profile of Gyges that Plato illustrates in the Republic (2.359c7–360b3). This paper aims to investigate the possible allusion and examine, with a narratological approach, the profile of some amazed observers in the plot of Daphnis and Chloe.