The Trojan Epic: Posthomerica (Johns Hopkins New Translations from Antiquity)

Composed in the third century A.D., the Trojan Epic is the earliest surviving literary evidence for many of the traditions of the Trojan War passed down from ancient Greece. Also known as the Posthomerica, or "sequel to Homer," the Trojan Epic chronicles the course of the war after the burial of Troy's greatest hero, Hektor.Quintus, believed to have been an educated Greek living in Roman Asia Minor, included some of the war's most legendary events: the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse, and the destruction of Troy. But because Quintus deliberately imitated Homer's language and style, his work has been dismissed by many scholars as pastiche. A vivid and entertaining story in its own right, the Trojan Epic is also particularly significant for what it reveals about its sources—the much older, now lost Greek epics about the Trojan War known collectively as the Epic Cycle. Written in the Homeric era, these poems recounted events not included in the Iliad or the Odyssey. As Alan James makes clear in this vibrant and faithful new translation, Quintus's work deserves attention for its literary-historical importance and its narrative power. James's line-by-line verse translation in English reveals the original as an exciting and eloquent tale of gods and heroes, bravery and cunning, hubris and brutality. James includes a substantial introduction which places the work in its literary and historical context, a detailed and annotated book-by-book summary of the epic, a commentary dealing mainly with sources, and an explanatory index of proper names. Brilliantly revitalized by James, the Trojan Epic will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Greek mythology and the legend of Troy. (2005) Composed in the third century A.D., the Trojan Epic is the earliest surviving literary evidence for many of the traditions of the Trojan War passed down from ancient Greece. Also known as the Posthomerica, or "sequel to Homer," the Trojan Epic chronicles the course of the war after the burial of Troy's greatest hero, Hektor. Quintus, believed to have been an educated Greek living in Roman Asia Minor, included some of the war's most legendary events: the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse, and the destruction of Troy. But because Quintus deliberately imitated Homer's language and style, his work has been dismissed by many scholars as pastiche. A vivid and entertaining story in its own right, the Trojan Epic is also particularly significant for what it reveals about its sources & mdash;the much older, now lost Greek epics about the Trojan War known collectively as the Epic Cycle. Written in the Homeric era, these poems recounted events not included in the Iliad or the Odyssey . As Alan James makes clear in this vibrant and faithful new translation, Quintus's work deserves attention for its literary-historical importance and its narrative power. James's line-by-line verse translation in English reveals the original as an exciting and eloquent tale of gods and heroes, bravery and cunning, hubris and brutality. James includes a substantial introduction which places the work in its literary and historical context, a detailed and annotated book-by-book summary of the epic, a commentary dealing mainly with sources, and an explanatory index of proper names. Brilliantly revitalized by James, the Trojan Epic will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Greek mythology and the legend of Troy Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 The TROJAN EPIC......Page 42 1 Penthesileia......Page 44 2 Memnon......Page 66 3 The Death of Achilles......Page 84 4 The Funeral Games of Achilles......Page 105 5 The Contest for the Armor of Achilles......Page 121 6 The Arrival of Eurypylos......Page 139 7 The Arrival of Neoptolemos......Page 157 8 The Death of Eurypylos......Page 176 9 The Arrival of Philoktetes......Page 190 10 The Death of Paris......Page 204 11 The Defense of Troy......Page 217 12 The Wooden Horse......Page 230 13 The Sack of Troy......Page 246 14 The Departure of the Greeks......Page 261 Critical Summary......Page 280 Commentary......Page 308 A......Page 390 C......Page 393 E......Page 394 F......Page 395 H......Page 396 K......Page 397 L......Page 398 M......Page 399 O......Page 400 P......Page 401 T......Page 403 Z......Page 405 The Greek epic poem by Quintus of Smyrna is the only large-scale poetic narrative of much of the traditional story of the Trojan War surviving from antiquity. Quinto De Esmirna ; Edición De Francisco Antonio García Romero. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 405-408) And Index. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.