A Companion to Ancient Epic (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World)

Epic was the master-genre of the ancient world: it was central to group identity, education, literature, and culture. Yet modern understanding of ancient epic is not static, and scholarship over the last few decades has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre, introducing topics such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition. A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic. It offers a multidisciplinary discussion of both long-standing ideas and newer perspectives. A key feature of the volume, designed to make the book as useful as possible, is the index of poems, poets, technical terms, important figures, and other relevant literary and artistic works. The Companion will be required reading for all students of ancient literature. Introduction / John Miles Foley -- Epic As Genre / Richard P. Martin -- The Indo-european Context / Joshua T. Katz -- Epic And Myth / Lowell Edmunds -- Performance / Minna Skafte Jensen -- Epic And History / Kurt A. Raaflaub -- The Epic Hero / Gregory Nagy -- The Gods In Epic, Or The Divine Economy / Bruce Louden -- Women In Ancient Epic / Helene P. Foley -- Archaeological Contexts / Susan Sherratt -- The Physical Media : Tablet, Scroll, Codex / Michael W. Haslam -- Ancient Reception / Robert Lamberton -- Translating Ancient Epic / Richard Hamilton Armstrong -- Analogues : Modern Oral Epics / John Miles Foley -- Comparative Observations On The Near Eastern Epic Traditions / Jack M. Sasson -- Mesopotamian Epic / Scott B. Noegel -- Epic In Ugaritic Literature / N. Wyatt -- Hittite And Hurrian Epic / Gary Beckman -- Persian/iranian Epic / Olga M. Davidson -- The Challenge Of Israelite Epic / Susan Niditch -- Near Eastern Connections / Walter Burkert -- Homer's Iliad / Mark W. Edwards -- Homer's Odyssey / Laura M. Slatkin -- Hesiod / Stephanie Nelson -- The Epic Cycle And Fragments / Jonathan S. Burgess -- Apollonius Of Rhodes / D.p. Nelis -- Quintus Of Smyrna / Alan James -- Nonnus / Robert Shorrock -- Epic And Other Genres In The Ancient Greek World / R. Scott Garner -- Homer's Post-classical Legacy / Casey Dué -- The Origins And Essence Of Roman Epic / Joseph Farrell -- Early Republican Epic / Sander M. Goldberg -- Lucretius / Monica R. Gale -- Virgil's Aeneid / Michael C.j. Putnam -- Ovid / Carole E. Newlands -- Lucan / Shadi Bartsch -- Valerius Flaccus / Andrew Zissos -- Statius / William J. Dominik -- Silius Italicus / Raymond D. Marks -- Claudian / Michael H. Barnes -- Latin Christian Epics Of Late Antiquity / Dennis E. Trout -- Epic And Other Genres In The Roman World / R. Jenkyns -- Virgil's Post-classical Legacy / Craig Kallendorf. Edited By John Miles Foley. Isbn On Verso Of Title Page : 1405105248. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [589]-650) And Index. Introduction / John Miles Foley Epic as genre / Richard P. Martin The Indo-European context / Joshua T. Katz Epic and myth / Lowell Edmunds Performance / Minna Skafte Jensen Epic and history / Kurt A. Raaflaub The epic hero / Gregory Nagy The gods in epic, or, The divine economy / Bruce Louden Women in epic / Helene P. Foley Archaeological contexts / Susan Sherratt The physical media : tablet, scroll, codex / Michael W. Haslam Ancient reception / Robert Lamberton Translations / Richard Hamilton Armstrong Analogues : modern oral epics / John Miles Foley Comparative observations on the Near Eastern epic traditions / Jack M. Sasson Mesopotamian epic / Scott B. Noegel Epic in Ugaritic literature / N. Wyatt Hurrian/Hittite epic / Gary Beckman Persian/Iranian epic / Olga M. Davidson Hebrew epic / Susan Niditch Near Eastern connections / Walter Burkert Homer's Iliad / Mark W. Edwards Homer's Odyssey / Laura M. Slatkin Hesiod / Stephanie Nelson Epic cycle and fragments / Jonathan S. Burgess Apollonius of Rhodes / D. P. Nelis Quintus of Smyrna / Alan James Nonnus / Robert Shorrock Epic and other genres in the ancient Greek world / R. Scott Garner Homer's post-classical legacy / Casey Dué Origins and essence / Joseph Farrell Early republican epic / Sander M. Goldberg Lucretius / Monica R. Gale Virgil's Aeneid / Michael C. J. Putnam Ovid / Carole E. Newlands Lucan / Shadi Bartsch Valerius Flaccus / Andrew Zissos Statius / William J. Dominik Silius Italicus / Raymond D. Marks Claudian / Michael H. Barnes Latin Christian epics of late antiquity / Dennis E. Trout Epic and other genres / R. Jenkyns Virgil's post-classical legacy / Craig Kallendorf. A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman epic. It offers a multi-disciplinary discussion of both longstanding ideas and newer perspectives. A Companion to the Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic traditions Considers the interrelation between these different traditions Provides a balanced overview of longstanding ideas and newer perspectives in the study of epic Shows how scholarship over the last forty years has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre Covers recently introduced topics, such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition The editor and contributors are leading scholars in the field Includes a detailed index of poems, poets, technical terms, and important figures and events "A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic. It offers a multidisciplinary discussion of both longstanding ideas and newer perspectives. A key feature of the volume, designed to make the book as useful as possible, is the index of poems, poets, technical terms, important figures, and other relevant literary and artistic works. The Companion will be required reading for all students of ancient literature."--Jacket