I. Concept and characteristics
The term romance of Troy is here used to refer to a number of ancient prose texts predating the Trojan epics of the Middle Ages, particularly the tales of Dictys Cretensis and Dares [3] Phrygius, which were composed in Late Antiquity. To be sure, the ambition of these and similar works was certainly not to be a romance or novel (Novel); whether in a playful or serious manner, they claim to tell the truth about the Tro…