Greek Literature and the Roman Empire uses up-to-date literary and cultural theory to make a major and original contribution to the appreciation of Greek literature written under the Roman Empire during the second century CE (the so-called 'Second Sophistic'). The central preoccupations of this literature, particularly mimesis and paideia, constitute a crucial test-site for the exploration and dissemination of Greek identity during the period. Focusing upon a series of key texts by important authors (including Dio Chrysostom, Plutarch, Philostratus, Lucian, Favorinus, and the novelists), Whitmarsh argues that the recurrent narratives that stage Greekness as 'culture' and Romanness as 'power' are not innocent reflections of social realities, but self-interested and often playful 'performances' of cultural identity. Their authors' rich and complex engagement with the literary past articulates an ingenious and sophisticated response to their present socio-political circumstances. This book is written for those interested in the history of identity and imperialism as well as scholars as classical literature and society. All Greek and Latin is translated.