What Academic Scholarship Should Be

Forde's book far outstrips any other current treatment of the career of Alkibiades in Thucydides' History. In fact, it may be the best scholastic treatment of Alkibiades, period. The interpretive slant taken is A.'s effect on the political context of the city-state, and a continuous stream of provocative insights reveal the depth of this effect. What you will not find here is an analysis of the private aspects of Alkibiades' life, such as his supposed seduction of a Spartan Queen, or the extent of his own licentious behaviour. Neither does Forde expand his perspective beyond Thucydides, but these limitations in no way should be accounted as faults of the book. This is a scholar staking out his territory, and then giving a rigorous and creative solution to problems encountered within it. His analysis of Thucydides' use of the word "eros" is not to be missed, and his deft treatment of a comparison between the psychology of Sparta and Athens is also excellent. I highly recommend this book for both experienced scholars and anyone with an interest in Thucydides.

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