The Cambridge Companion to Herodotus (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

Discussing Herodotus' 'Histories', the contributors explore influence, context, techniques and themes, representation of the Greeks' relationships with foreigners and reception. Included is analysis of Herodotus' influences, Homer in particular. Herodotus and the poetry of the past / John Marincola -- Herodotus and his prose predecessors / Robert Fowler -- Herodotus and tragedy / Jasper Griffin -- The intellectual milieu of Herodotus / Rosalind Thomas -- Meta-historiē : method and genre in the Histories / Nino Luraghi -- The syntax of historiē : how Herodotus writes / Egbert Bakker -- Speech and narrative in the Histories / Christopher Pelling -- Herodotus, Sophocles and the woman who wanted her brother saved / Carolyn Dewald and Rachael Kitzinger -- Stories and storytelling in the Histories / Alan Griffiths -- Humour and danger in Herodotus / Carolyn Dewald -- Location and dislocation in Herodotus / Rachel Friedman -- Herodotus and the natural world / James Romm -- Herodotus and Greek religion / Scott Scullion -- Warfare in Herodotus / Lawrence Tritle -- Herodotus, political history and political thought / Sara Forsdyke -- Herodotus and the cities of mainland Greece / Philip Stadter -- An alternate world : Herodotus and Italy / Rosaria Vignolo Munson -- Herodotus and Persia / Michael Flower -- Herodotus and foreign lands / Tim Rood -- Herodotus' influence in antiquity / Simon Hornblower Popularly known as the 'Father of History', Herodotus is the first major prose writer in the history of Western literature whose work has survived in full. At a time when the ancient Greeks' knowledge of the past relied on orally transmitted memories, he was a pioneering historical practitioner who explored the interplay of myth and history and the role of narrative in history. Contributors to this volume analyze Herodotus' Histories and their influence. Taking a thematic approach, they explore the Histories and their context, techniques and themes, representation of the Greeks' relationships with foreigners and reception Herodotus' Histories is the first major surviving prose work from antiquity. Its range of interests is immense, covering the whole of the known world and much beyond, and it culminates in a detailed account of the Persian Wars of the early fifth century BC. Moreover, recent research has shown that Herodotus is a sophisticated and at times even ironic narrator, and a pioneer and serious practitioner of historical research at a time when the Greeks' traditions about their past were still the fluid transmissions and memories of a largely oral society. This companion provides a series of up-to-date and accessible chapters, written by distinguished scholars, illuminating many aspects of Herodotus' work: his skill in language and his narrative art; his intellectual preconceptions; his working methods and techniques; his attitude towards nature and the gods; his attitude towards foreign cultures and peoples; and his view of human life and human history Discussing Herodotus' histories and their influence, the contributors explore the Histories and their context, their techniques and themes, their representation of the Greeks' relationships with foreigners and their reception. Included is analysis of their relationship to Homer and the methodology and narration used