Introduction

Abstract This chapter introduces the scholarly frameworks with which the Saturnalia will be studied in the rest of the monograph. Building upon recent advances in the field of Macrobian studies, which have argued for the creativity of the Saturnalia’s literary project, this chapter proposes that Macrobius’ interactions with his predecessors do not simply express admiration for a classical past but can be playful and even critical reflections on the aesthetic and ethical norms of his models. The introduction rereads the Preface and Prologue to the Saturnalia as a statement upon the interconnectedness of the literary and moral aims of Macrobius’ dialogue, and proposes a new concept, ethical allusion, to understand this strategy.