A Guide to Hellenistic Literature (Blackwell Guides to Classical Literature)

This book is a guide to the extraordinarily diverse literature of the Hellenistic period. A guide to the literature of the Hellenistic age, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BC Provides overviews of the social, political, intellectual and literary historical contexts in which Hellenistic literature was produced Introduces the major writers and genres of the period Provides information about style, meter and languages to aid readers with no prior knowledge of the language in understanding technical aspects of literary Greek Distinctive in its coverage of current issues in Hellenistic criticism, including audience reception, the political and social background, and Hellenistic theories of literature Contents......Page 9 List of Figures......Page 11 List of Maps......Page 12 Preface......Page 13 1 History and Culture......Page 19 1.1 The Successors......Page 20 1.2 Macedonia and Greece......Page 22 1.3 Seleucid Asia......Page 26 1.4 Attalid Pergamum......Page 30 1.5 Ptolemaic Egypt......Page 34 2 Aesthetics and Style......Page 44 2.1 Aesthetic Principles......Page 47 2.2 Meter, Dialect, and Diction......Page 54 2.3 Literature as Artefact......Page 61 3.1 Menander......Page 68 3.2 Callimachus......Page 78 3.3 Apollonius of Rhodes......Page 92 3.4 Theocritus and the Other Bucolic Poets......Page 102 3.5 Didactic Poetry......Page 115 3.6 Epigrams......Page 124 3.7 Dramatic Poetry......Page 138 3.8 Parodic and Philosophical Literature......Page 149 3.9 Polybius......Page 162 3.10 Technical Prose Writing......Page 172 4 Topics in Hellenistic Literature......Page 186 4.1 Learning and Innovation......Page 187 4.2 Book Culture and Performance......Page 196 4.3 Social and Political Background......Page 206 4.4 The Critical Impulse in Literature and Art......Page 220 4.5 Reception in Rome......Page 231 Notes......Page 241 Chronological Tables......Page 246 Suggested Reading......Page 248 Bibliography......Page 257 Index......Page 269

This book is a guide to Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. It demonstrates how, during this period, Greek culture spread to Egypt and the Near East, was adapted and absorbed by the Romans, and produced an extraordinarily diverse literature, ranging from the comedy of Menander to the intricately wrought epigrams of Callimachus, from Apollonius’ epic Argonautica to the great historical work of Polybius.

The book helps readers to find their way through this remarkable but complex body of work. It situates Hellenistic literature in its historical and cultural contexts, introduces the major writers and genres of the period, and explains the major critical trends in current scholarship on the subject. Information about style, meter, and language aids readers with no prior knowledge in understanding technical aspects of literary Greek. All ancient Greek words are transliterated, and literary passages are quoted in translation.

"This book is a guide to Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. It demonstrates how, during this period, Greek culture spread to Egypt and the Near East, was adapted and absorbed by the Romans, and produced an extraordinarily diverse literature, ranging from the comedy of Menander to the intricately wrought epigrams of Callimachus, from Apollonius' epic Argonautica to the great historical work of Polybius." "The book helps readers to find their way through this body of work. It situates Hellenistic literature in its historical and cultural contexts, introduces the major writers and genres of the period, and explains the major critical trends in current scholarship on the subject. Information about style, meter, and language aids readers with no prior knowledge in understanding technical aspects of literary Greek. All ancient Greek words are transliterated, and literary passages are quoted in translation."--Jacket