SOURCE: "Some Sources of Comic Effect in Petronius," Classical Philology, Vol. X, No. 3, July, 1915, pp. 257-70.

In the following essay, Preston examines some of the techniques and devices used by Petronius for comic effect, including surprise, buffoonery, intoxication, and the continual introduction of new characters.

The relation of Petronius to comedy is a subject which has already engaged the attention of scholars. In his very valuable studies on the literary sources of Petronius, Collignon¹ devotes considerable space to this topic. Starting with a collection of all explicit references to drama, in the Satiricon, the more significant of which have to do with the mime, he proceeds to examine the literary material of his author for points of resemblance to the mime and the new comedy. His comparison shows, quite conclusively, that Petronius was very greatly influenced by the former; as for the new comedy, at least in so...