25Generic Manipulation in the Work of Aelius Aristides

This paper argues for a higher degree of purposeful experimentation with combining different forms of writing in the work of Aelius Aristides than is often acknowledged. It suggests that, not only in the well-known case of the Hymns but also the Panathenaic and Platonic Orations , Aristides seeks to corral other forms within oratorical wholes, thus demonstrating the overmastering superiority of his own literary calling. In the Sacred Tales , which also celebrate his own uniqueness and distinction as an orator, a similar strategy of appropriation and transcendence can be seen at work, though this time only a novel, non-oratorical form of discourse is adequate to convey that uniqueness, grounded as it is in his special relationship with the god Asclepius.