Abstract
The study is based on understanding the ancient love novel (or erotic or "ideal" novel) as a subgenre of the novel, with other subgenres being historical and mythological novels, Christian novels, comic -satirical novels, utopian novels, biographies, etc. The ancient love novel is characterized by a formula consisting of several topoi.
To observe the variations and innovations on the part of the authors, two love novels (from the whole of the five extant love novels) are thoroughly examined: Chariton's Chaereas and Callirhoe and Achilles Tatius' Leucippe and Clitophon; however, fragments of the other novels are considered as well. In spite of the different nature of each work, their authors' strategy looks very similar, and is defined by the continuous interplay between the formula and its multiple variations and innovations; e.g. the central topos of chastity/virginity is broken in both novels, and some scholars speak even of a subversion of the formula.
This strategy recalls that of the works of popular literature (however, not that of junk or trash literature) which points to the qualities of heterogeneity and excessiveness. The producerly (the term is John Fiske's) character of works of popular literature can successfully be applied to some of the ancient love novels, too.