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A True Story
	Illustration from 1894 by William Strang depicting a battle scene from Book One of Lucian of Samosata's A True Story
Author	Lucian of Samosata
Language	Greek
Genre	Satire, Fantasy, Science fiction
Publication date	2nd century AD
Publication place	Syria, Roman Empire

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A True Story (Template:Lang-grc, Alēthē diēgēmata; Template:Lang-la or Template:Lang-la) is a long novella or short novel^[1] written in the second century AD by Lucian of Samosata, a Greek-speaking author of Assyrian descent. The novel is a satire of outlandish tales that had been reported in ancient sources, particularly those that presented fantastic or mythical events as if they were true. It is Lucian's best-known work.

It is the earliest known work of fiction to include travel to outer space, alien lifeforms, and interplanetary warfare. It has been described as "the first known text that could be called science fiction".^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] However, the work does not fit into typical literary genres: its multilayered plot and its characters have been interpreted as belonging to science fiction, fantasy, satire or parody, and have been the subjects of scholarly debate.

Plot

The novel begins with an explanation that the story is not at all "true", and that everything in it is a complete and utter lie.^[6]^[7] The narrative begins with Lucian and his fellow travelers journeying out past the Pillars of Heracles.^[8]^[9] Blown off course by a storm, they come to an island with a river of wine filled with fish and bears, a marker indicating that Heracles and Dionysus have traveled to this point, and trees that look like women.^[9]^[10] Shortly after leaving the island, they are caught up by a whirlwind and taken to the Moon,^[9]^[11] where they find themselves embroiled in a full-scale war between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun over colonization of the Morning Star.^[9]^[12] Both armies include bizarre hybrid lifeforms.^[13]^[9] The armies of the Sun win the war by clouding over the Moon and blocking out the Sun's light.^[9]^[14] Both parties come to a peace agreement.^[15] Lucian describes life on the Moon and how it is different from life on Earth.^[9]^[16]

After returning to Earth, the adventurers are swallowed by a 200-mile-long (320 km) whale,^[17]^[18] in whose belly they discover a variety of fish people, against whom they wage war and triumph.^[18]^[19] They kill the whale by starting a bonfire and escape by propping its mouth open.^[20]^[18] Next, they encounter a sea of milk, an island of cheese, and the Island of the Blessed.^[21]^[22] There, Lucian meets the heroes of the Trojan War, other mythical men and animals, as well as Homer and Pythagoras.^[23]^[24] They find sinners being punished, the worst of them being the ones who had written books with lies and fantasies, including Herodotus and Ctesias.^[25]^[24] After leaving the Island of the Blessed, they deliver a letter to Calypso given to them by Odysseus explaining that he wishes he had stayed with her so he could have lived eternally.^[26]^[24] They discover a chasm in the ocean, but eventually sail around it, discover a far-off continent and decide to explore it.^[24]^[27] The book ends abruptly with Lucian stating that their future adventures will be described in the upcoming sequels,^[28]^[29] a promise which a disappointed scholiast described as "the biggest lie of all".^[30]

Analysis

Satire

Seventeenth-century engraving by William Faithorne depicting a fictional portrait of Lucian

In one view, Lucian intended his story to be a form of literary criticism, a satire against contemporary and ancient sources which quote fantastic and mythical events as truth. He mentions the tales of Ctesias, Iambulus, and Homer and states that "what did surprise me was their supposition that nobody would notice they were lying." Many characters and events are exaggerated to ridiculous ends to mock the original tellings. As noted by classicist B.P. Reardon, "above all, it is a parody of literary 'liars' like Homer and Herodotus".^[31] Consequently, Lucian goes on to state that the story recounted in A True Story is about "things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say."^[32] He justifies the title by arguing that his is the only truthful mythological story ever written, inasmuch as it is the only one that admits that it is all lies. He also promises a sequel but it is not known if such a sequel existed.

Science fiction

Modern science fiction critics do not necessarily view the satirical streak of the story as conflicting with modern notions of science fiction. The defining element of science can be found in Lucian's specific and effective approach to identifying false values and misidentifications in contemporary philosophy, which was very much the general term of science then.^[33] Additionally, they point out that A True Story was written in response to another work that also contained science fictional elements, that is Antonius Diogenes' lost Of the Wonderful Things Beyond Thule, whose protagonist also reached the Moon.^[33] The estranging feeling of the story as a defining element of science fiction has also been noted:

...True Stories may properly be regarded as SF because Lucian often achieves that sense of "cognitive estrangement" which Darko Suvin has defined as the generic distinction of SF, that is, the depiction of an alternate world, radically unlike our own, but relatable to it in terms of significant knowledge.^[34]

According to Grewell, whose definition of science fiction focuses on the struggle between supposedly superior and inferior life forms, "part of the tale that qualifies it as science fiction, rather than as fantasy or imaginative fiction, involves Lucian and his seamen in a battle for territorial and colonization rights."^[35]

"The king of the inhabitants of the Sun, Phaethon," said Endymion king of the Moon, "has been at war with us for a long time now. Once upon a time I gathered together the poorest people in my kingdom and undertook to plant a colony on the Morning Star which was empty and uninhabited. Phaethon out of jealousy thwarted the colonization, meeting us halfway at the head of his dragoons. At that time we were beaten, for we were not a match for them in strength, and we retreated. Now, however, I desire to make war again and plant the colony."^[33]

The typical science fiction themes and topoi that appear in True Stories are:^[36]

travel to outer space
encounter with alien life-forms, including the experience of a first contact event
interplanetary warfare and imperialism
colonization of planets
artificial atmosphere
liquid air
reflecting telescope
motif of giganticism
creatures as products of human technology (robot theme)
worlds working by a set of alternate 'physical' laws
explicit desire of the protagonist for exploration and adventure

A middle position seems to be taken up by critic Kingsley Amis, who acknowledged the science fiction and satirical character of True Stories at the same time:

I will merely remark that the sprightliness and sophistication of True History make it read like a joke at the expense of nearly all early-modern science fiction, that written between, say, 1910 and 1940.^[37]

Modern equivalents, combining science fiction and parody in equal measure, may be found in Voltaire's Micromégas and the works of Douglas Adams.

References

^ Doody, Margaret Anne (1996). A True Story of the Novel. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-8135-2168-8. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
^ Grewell 2001.
^ Swanson 1976, p. 228: "Lucian of Samosata, the Greco-Syrian satirist of the second century, appears today as an exemplar of the science-fiction artist. There is little, if any, need to argue that his mythopoeic Milesian Tales and his literary fantastic voyages and utopistic hyperbole comport with the genre of science fiction"
^ Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, Introduction: "Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition."
^ Gunn 1988, p. 249: "proto-SF"
^ Casson 1962, pp. 13–15.
^ Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 51–52.
^ Casson 1962, p. 15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 53–155^{[page range too broad]}
^ Casson 1962, pp. 15–17.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 17–18.
^ Casson 1962, p. 18.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 18–21.
^ Casson 1962, p. 22.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 22–23.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 23–25.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 27–28.
^ ^a ^b ^c Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 156–177^{[page range too broad]}
^ Casson 1962, pp. 27–33.
^ Casson 1962, p. 34.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 35–37.
^ Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 156–178^{[page range too broad]}
^ Casson 1962, pp. 35–45.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 178–232^{[page range too broad]}
^ Casson 1962, p. 46.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 45–49.
^ Casson 1962, pp. 49–54.
^ Casson 1962, p. 54.
^ Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 232–233.
^ Casson 1962, p. 57.
^ Reardon 1989, p. 619.
^ Reardon 1989, p. 622.
^ ^a ^b ^c Swanson 1976.
^ Fredericks 1976, p. 54.
^ Grewell 2001, pp. 30–31.
^ Fredericks 1976.
^ Kingsley 1960, p. 28.

Bibliography

Casson, Lionel, ed. (1962), Selected Satires of Lucian, New York: W.W. Norton & Co, ISBN 0-393-00443-0. Reprinted. New York: Routledge. 2017. doi:10.4324/9781315129105-4.
Fredericks, S.C. (Mar 1976), "Lucian's True History as SF", Science Fiction Studies, 3 (1), Depauw: 49–60, JSTOR 4238997.
Georgiadou, Aristoula; Larmour, David H. J. (1998), Lucian's Science Fiction Novel True Histories: Interpretation and Commentary, Supplements to Mnemosyne, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, doi:10.1163/9789004351509, ISBN 90-04-10667-7.
Grewell, Greg (2001), "Colonizing the Universe: Science Fictions Then, Now, and in the (Imagined) Future", Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature, 55 (2): 25–47, JSTOR 1348255.
Gunn, James E. (1988), "The Journey", The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Viking, pp. 248–251, ISBN 978-0-670-81041-3.
Kingsley, Amis (1960), "Starting Points: Definitions; beginnings; Verne and Wells", New Maps of Hell: A Survey of Science Fiction, New York: Harcourt Brace.
Reardon, B.P. (1989), "Lucian: A True Story", Collected Ancient Greek Novels, Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 619–649, ISBN 0-520-04306-5.
Swanson, Roy Arthur (Nov 1976), "The True, the False, and the Truly False: Lucian's Philosophical Science Fiction", Science Fiction Studies, 3 (3): 228–239, JSTOR 4239038.

External links

Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article: Ἀληθῆ διηγήματα
A True History at sacred-texts.com
Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3/8 of Lucian's works, with facing Greek text, at ancientlibrary.com
Lucian of Samosata Project – Articles, timeline, maps, library, and lhemes
The book at Project Gutenberg
The audio book at Librivox

[1] Doody, Margaret Anne (1996). A True Story of the Novel. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-8135-2168-8. Retrieved December 16, 2020.

[FOOTNOTEGrewell2001-2] Grewell 2001.

[FOOTNOTESwanson1976228-3] Swanson 1976, p. 228: "Lucian of Samosata, the Greco-Syrian satirist of the second century, appears today as an exemplar of the science-fiction artist. There is little, if any, need to argue that his mythopoeic Milesian Tales and his literary fantastic voyages and utopistic hyperbole comport with the genre of science fiction"

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour1998Introduction-4] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, Introduction: "Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition."

[FOOTNOTEGunn1988249-5] Gunn 1988, p. 249: "proto-SF"

[FOOTNOTECasson196213–15-6] Casson 1962, pp. 13–15.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour199851–52-7] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 51–52.

[FOOTNOTECasson196215-8] Casson 1962, p. 15.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour199853–155-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 53–155^{[page range too broad]}

[FOOTNOTECasson196215–17-10] Casson 1962, pp. 15–17.

[FOOTNOTECasson196217–18-11] Casson 1962, pp. 17–18.

[FOOTNOTECasson196218-12] Casson 1962, p. 18.

[FOOTNOTECasson196218–21-13] Casson 1962, pp. 18–21.

[FOOTNOTECasson196222-14] Casson 1962, p. 22.

[FOOTNOTECasson196222–23-15] Casson 1962, pp. 22–23.

[FOOTNOTECasson196223–25-16] Casson 1962, pp. 23–25.

[FOOTNOTECasson196227–28-17] Casson 1962, pp. 27–28.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour1998156–177-18] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 156–177^{[page range too broad]}

[FOOTNOTECasson196227–33-19] Casson 1962, pp. 27–33.

[FOOTNOTECasson196234-20] Casson 1962, p. 34.

[FOOTNOTECasson196235–37-21] Casson 1962, pp. 35–37.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour1998156–178-22] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 156–178^{[page range too broad]}

[FOOTNOTECasson196235–45-23] Casson 1962, pp. 35–45.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour1998178–232-24] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 178–232^{[page range too broad]}

[FOOTNOTECasson196246-25] Casson 1962, p. 46.

[FOOTNOTECasson196245–49-26] Casson 1962, pp. 45–49.

[FOOTNOTECasson196249–54-27] Casson 1962, pp. 49–54.

[FOOTNOTECasson196254-28] Casson 1962, p. 54.

[FOOTNOTEGeorgiadouLarmour1998232–233-29] Georgiadou & Larmour 1998, pp. 232–233.

[FOOTNOTECasson196257-30] Casson 1962, p. 57.

[FOOTNOTEReardon1989619-31] Reardon 1989, p. 619.

[FOOTNOTEReardon1989622-32] Reardon 1989, p. 622.

[FOOTNOTESwanson1976-33] Swanson 1976.

[FOOTNOTEFredericks197654-34] Fredericks 1976, p. 54.

[FOOTNOTEGrewell200130–31-35] Grewell 2001, pp. 30–31.

[FOOTNOTEFredericks1976-36] Fredericks 1976.

[FOOTNOTEKingsley196028-37] Kingsley 1960, p. 28.

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@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | language          = [[Greek language|Greek]]
 | genre             = [[Satire]], [[Fantasy]], [[Science fiction]]
-| pub_date          = 2nd Century AD
+| pub_date          = 2nd century AD
 }}
 '''''A True Story''''' ({{lang-grc|Ἀληθῆ διηγήματα}}, ''Alēthē diēgēmata''; {{Lang-la|Vera Historia}} or {{Lang-la |Verae Historiae}}) is a long [[novella]] or short [[novel]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Doody |first1=Margaret Anne |title=A True Story of the Novel |date=1996 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey |isbn=0-8135-2168-8 |page=26 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_True_Story_of_the_Novel/BBYU6jyA3MUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=a+true+story+lucian+novella&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover |access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> written in the second century AD by [[Lucian|Lucian of Samosata]], a [[Ancient Greek|Greek-speaking]] author of [[Assyrian people|Assyrian descent]]. The novel is a [[satire]] of outlandish tales that had been reported in [[classical antiquity|ancient]] sources, particularly those that presented [[fantastic]] or [[Mythology|mythical]] events as if they were true. It is Lucian's best-known work.
-It is the earliest known work of [[fiction]] to include [[travel]] to [[outer space]], [[Fictional extraterrestrials|alien lifeforms]], and interplanetary [[war]]fare. It has been described as "the first known text that could be called [[science fiction]]".{{Sfn | Grewell | 2001}}{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976 |page=228 | ps =: "Lucian of Samosata, the Greco-Syrian satirist of the second century, appears today as an exemplar of the science-fiction artist. There is little, if any, need to argue that his mythopoeic Milesian Tales and his literary fantastic voyages and utopistic hyperbole comport with the genre of science fiction"}}{{Sfn | Georgiadou | Larmour | 1998 | at = Introduction | ps =: "Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition."}}{{Sfn | Gunn | 1988 | p = 249 | ps =: "proto-SF"}} However, the work does not fit into typical [[literary genres]]: its multilayered plot and its characters have been interpreted as belonging to [[science fiction]], [[fantasy]], [[satire]] or [[parody]], and have been the subjects of scholarly debate.
+It is the earliest known work of [[fiction]] to include travel to [[outer space]], [[Fictional extraterrestrials|alien lifeforms]], and interplanetary [[war]]fare. It has been described as "the first known text that could be called [[science fiction]]".{{Sfn | Grewell | 2001}}{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976 |page=228 | ps =: "Lucian of Samosata, the Greco-Syrian satirist of the second century, appears today as an exemplar of the science-fiction artist. There is little, if any, need to argue that his mythopoeic Milesian Tales and his literary fantastic voyages and utopistic hyperbole comport with the genre of science fiction"}}{{Sfn | Georgiadou | Larmour | 1998 | at = Introduction | ps =: "Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition."}}{{Sfn | Gunn | 1988 | p = 249 | ps =: "proto-SF"}} However, the work does not fit into typical [[literary genres]]: its multilayered plot and its characters have been interpreted as belonging to science fiction, [[fantasy]], [[satire]] or [[parody]], and have been the subjects of scholarly debate.
 == Plot ==
-The novel begins with an explanation that the story is not at all "true", and that everything in it is a complete and utter lie.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pp = 13–15}}{{sfn |Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp =51–52}} The [[narrative]] begins with Lucian and his fellow travelers journeying out past the [[Pillars of {{not a typo|Heracles}}]].{{sfn |Casson |1962|p =15}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} Blown off course by a [[storm]], they come to an island with a river of [[wine]] filled with fish and bears, a marker indicating that {{not a typo|[[Heracles]]}} and [[Dionysus]] have traveled to this point, and trees that look like women.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp = 15–17}} Shortly after leaving the island, they are caught up by a [[whirlwind]] and taken to the Moon,{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp =17–18}} where they find themselves embroiled in a full-scale war between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun over [[colonization]] of the [[Venus|Morning Star]].{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson|1962|p =18}} Both armies include bizarre [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] lifeforms.{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp =18–21}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} The armies of the Sun win the war by [[Overcast|clouding over]] the Moon and blocking out the Sun's light.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|p =22}} Both parties then come to a peace agreement.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pp = 22–23}} Lucian then describes life on the Moon and how it is different from life on Earth.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp= 23–25}}
+The novel begins with an explanation that the story is not at all "true", and that everything in it is a complete and utter lie.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pp = 13–15}}{{sfn |Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp =51–52}} The [[narrative]] begins with Lucian and his fellow travelers journeying out past the [[Pillars of {{not a typo|Heracles}}]].{{sfn |Casson |1962|p =15}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} Blown off course by a storm, they come to an island with a river of [[wine]] filled with fish and bears, a marker indicating that {{not a typo|[[Heracles]]}} and [[Dionysus]] have traveled to this point, and trees that look like women.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp = 15–17}} Shortly after leaving the island, they are caught up by a whirlwind and taken to the Moon,{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp =17–18}} where they find themselves embroiled in a full-scale war between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun over [[colonization]] of the [[Venus|Morning Star]].{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson|1962|p =18}} Both armies include bizarre [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] lifeforms.{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp =18–21}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} The armies of the Sun win the war by clouding over the Moon and blocking out the Sun's light.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|p =22}} Both parties come to a peace agreement.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pp = 22–23}} Lucian describes life on the Moon and how it is different from life on Earth.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp=53–155 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn |Casson|1962|pp= 23–25}}
-After returning to Earth, the adventurers are swallowed by a {{convert|200|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[whale]],{{sfn |Casson |1962|pp =27–28}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998 |pp = 156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} in whose belly they discover a variety of fish people, against whom they wage war and triumph.{{sfn |Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp =156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson |1962|pages=27–33}} They kill the whale by starting a bonfire and escape by propping its [[mouth]] open.{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=34}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} Next, they encounter a sea of milk, an island of cheese, and the [[Fortunate Isles|Island of the Blessed]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=35–37}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=156–178 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} There, Lucian meets the heroes of the [[Trojan War]], other mythical men and animals, as well as [[Homer]] and [[Pythagoras]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=35–45}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} They find sinners being punished, the worst of them being the ones who had written books with lies and fantasies, including [[Herodotus]] and [[Ctesias]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=46}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} After leaving the Island of the Blessed, they deliver a letter to [[Calypso (mythology)|Calypso]] given to them by [[Odysseus]] explaining that he wishes he had stayed with her so he could have lived eternally.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=45–49}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} They then discover a chasm in the ocean, but eventually sail around it, discover a far-off continent and decide to explore it.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=49–54}} The book ends abruptly with Lucian stating that their future adventures will be described in the upcoming sequels,{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=54}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=232–233}} a promise which a disappointed [[scholia]]st described as "the biggest lie of all".{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=57}}
+After returning to Earth, the adventurers are swallowed by a {{convert|200|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} whale,{{sfn |Casson |1962|pp =27–28}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998 |pp = 156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} in whose belly they discover a variety of fish people, against whom they wage war and triumph.{{sfn |Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pp =156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson |1962|pages=27–33}} They kill the whale by starting a bonfire and escape by propping its mouth open.{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=34}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=156–177 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} Next, they encounter a sea of milk, an island of cheese, and the [[Fortunate Isles|Island of the Blessed]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=35–37}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=156–178 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} There, Lucian meets the heroes of the [[Trojan War]], other mythical men and animals, as well as [[Homer]] and [[Pythagoras]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=35–45}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} They find sinners being punished, the worst of them being the ones who had written books with lies and fantasies, including [[Herodotus]] and [[Ctesias]].{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=46}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} After leaving the Island of the Blessed, they deliver a letter to [[Calypso (mythology)|Calypso]] given to them by [[Odysseus]] explaining that he wishes he had stayed with her so he could have lived eternally.{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=45–49}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}} They discover a chasm in the ocean, but eventually sail around it, discover a far-off continent and decide to explore it.{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=178–232 |ps={{Page range too broad|date=July 2020}}}}{{sfn|Casson|1962|pages=49–54}} The book ends abruptly with Lucian stating that their future adventures will be described in the upcoming sequels,{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=54}}{{sfn|Georgiadou|Larmour|1998|pages=232–233}} a promise which a disappointed [[scholia]]st described as "the biggest lie of all".{{sfn|Casson|1962|page=57}}
 == Analysis ==
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 === Science fiction ===
-Modern science fiction critics do not necessarily view the satirical streak of the story as conflicting with modern notions of science fiction. The defining element of science can be found in Lucian's specific and effective approach to identifying false values and misidentifications in contemporary philosophy, which was very much the general term of science then.{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976}} Additionally, they point out that ''A True Story'' was written in response to another work that also contained science fictional elements, that is [[Antonius Diogenes]]’ lost ''Of the Wonderful Things Beyond [[Thule]]'', whose protagonist also reached the Moon.{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976}}  The estranging feeling of the story as a defining element of science fiction has also been noted:
+Modern science fiction critics do not necessarily view the satirical streak of the story as conflicting with modern notions of science fiction. The defining element of science can be found in Lucian's specific and effective approach to identifying false values and misidentifications in contemporary philosophy, which was very much the general term of science then.{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976}} Additionally, they point out that ''A True Story'' was written in response to another work that also contained science fictional elements, that is [[Antonius Diogenes]]' lost ''Of the Wonderful Things Beyond [[Thule]]'', whose protagonist also reached the Moon.{{Sfn | Swanson | 1976}}  The estranging feeling of the story as a defining element of science fiction has also been noted:
 {{quote | ...''True Stories'' may properly be regarded as SF because Lucian often achieves that sense of "cognitive estrangement" which [[Darko Suvin]] has defined as the generic distinction of SF, that is, the depiction of an alternate world, radically unlike our own, but relatable to it in terms of significant knowledge.{{Sfn | Fredericks | 1976 |p=54}}}}
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 *[[military science fiction|interplanetary warfare and imperialism]]
 *colonization of planets
-*[[Artificiality|artificial]] [[atmosphere]]
+*artificial [[atmosphere]]
 *liquid air
 *[[reflecting telescope]]
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 *explicit desire of the [[protagonist]] for exploration and adventure
-A middle position seems to be taken up by the [[English people|English]] critic [[Kingsley Amis]], who acknowledged the science fiction and satirical character of ''True Stories'' at the same time:{{quote |I will merely remark that the sprightliness and sophistication of ''True History'' make it read like a joke at the expense of nearly all early-modern science fiction, that written between, say, 1910 and 1940.{{sfn | Kingsley | 1960 |p=28}}}}
+A middle position seems to be taken up by critic [[Kingsley Amis]], who acknowledged the science fiction and satirical character of ''True Stories'' at the same time:{{quote |I will merely remark that the sprightliness and sophistication of ''True History'' make it read like a joke at the expense of nearly all early-modern science fiction, that written between, say, 1910 and 1940.{{sfn | Kingsley | 1960 |p=28}}}}
 Modern equivalents, combining science fiction and parody in equal measure, may be found in [[Voltaire]]'s ''[[Micromégas]]'' and the works of [[Douglas Adams]].
-In addition to the above, the book is an early expression of the idea of crossing the [[Atlantic]] and exploring lands that might lie on its other side, some 1,400 years before [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]].
 == See also ==
@@ Line 80: / Line 78: @@
 == External links ==
 *{{Wikisourcelang-inline|el|Αληθής Ιστορία|Ἀληθῆ διηγήματα}}
-*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/wl2/wl211.htm The ''True History''] at ''sacred-texts.com''
+*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/wl2/wl211.htm ''A True History''] at sacred-texts.com
-*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/fowl/index.htm The Works of Lucian of Samosata] at ''sacred-texts.com''
+*[http://www.ancientlibrary.com/lucian-3/ Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3/8 of Lucian's works], with facing Greek text, at ancientlibrary.com
+*[http://lucianofsamosata.info/ Lucian of Samosata Project]&nbsp;– Articles, timeline, maps, library, and lhemes
-*[http://www.ancientlibrary.com/lucian-3/ Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3/8 of Lucian's works], with facing Greek text, at ''ancientlibrary.com''
-*[http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/lucian_intro.htm A.M. Harmon: Introduction to Lucian of Samosata] at ''tertullian.org''
-*[http://lucianofsamosata.info/ Lucian of Samosata Project]&nbsp;– Articles, Timeline, Maps, Library, and Themes
 *[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45858 The book] at Project Gutenberg
 *[https://librivox.org/trips-to-the-moon-by-lucian-of-samosata/ The audio book] at Librivox

v t e Works by Lucian
Works by Lucian	Amores On the Syrian Goddess Dialogues of the Gods The Lover of Lies The Passing of Peregrinus Toxaris A True Story How to Write History
Pseudo-Lucianic writings	Halcyon Philopatris Timarion Judgment of the Vowels

v t e Ancient Greek novels and novelists
Surviving romances	Aethiopica by Heliodorus of Emesa Chaereas and Callirhoe by Chariton Daphnis and Chloe by Longus Ephesian Tale by Xenophon of Ephesus Leucippe and Clitophon by Achilles Tatius
Other prose fiction	Alexander Romance by Pseudo-Callisthenes Babyloniaca by Iamblichus Metiochus and Parthenope A True Story by Lucian The Wonders Beyond Thule by Antonius Diogenes
Related topics	Apollonius of Tyre Milesian tale

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International	VIAF 2 3
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Other	IdRef 2