The object of this book, writes the author in his Preface, is to investigate how poetry and the figure of the poet are represented, discussed, contested within the poetry of ancient Greece. Dr. Goldhill seeks to discover how ancient authors broached the questions: From what position does a poet speak? With what authority? With what debts to the past? With what involvement in the present? Through a series of interrelated essays on Homer, lyric poetry, Aristophanes, Theocritus and Apollonius of Rhodes, key aspects in the history of poetics are discussed: tale telling and the representation of man as the user of language; memorial and praise; parody, comedy and carnival; irony, masks and desire; the legacy of the past and the idea of influence. Detailed readings of major works of Greek literature show how richly rewarding and revealing this approach can be. The author makes liberal use of critical writings from areas of study other than Classics and focuses on problems central to contemporary critical debate. His book is uniquely placed to bring together modern and ancient poetics in a way that is enlightening for both. The work is written as much for the serious scholar of literary criticism as for the Classicist.

Reader Reviews

Caracalla

(4/5)

Oct 03, 2013

The early chapters on Homer are highly derivative, the Theocritus chapter is almost unreadable at times but he provides a necessary corrective to didactic readings of Aristophanes. The Pindar chapter is possibly derivative but seems to be presciently close to modern consensus otherwise. Goldhill's unsure about his deconstructionism here for some reason, maybe because his earlier attempts just emphasized textual uncertainty and lacked critical edge; certainly the Pindar reading lacks radicalism.

Bob Cat

Feb 18, 2018

ele.bi

(5/5)

May 24, 2012

Bobcesca

(3/5)

Jul 25, 2009

seymourglass

Nov 19, 2012

Eleanor

May 23, 2013

Meekin

(0/5)

Jan 05, 2013

Laurel

May 27, 2013

Azade Shahmiri

Jul 10, 2014

Drew

Oct 06, 2015

Renan Virginio

Jun 09, 2016

Marta

Aug 09, 2016

BookDB

Aug 24, 2016

Simon Stone

Oct 03, 2017

Madeline Marsanne

Jan 18, 2018

Jacob Neis

Jun 17, 2020

Glinsky

Jun 27, 2020

Paul Vittay

Jun 06, 2021

Justin

Feb 11, 2022

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The Poet's Voice: Essays on Poetics and Greek Literature

The Poet's Voice: Essays on Poetics and Greek Literature

The Poet's Voice: Essays on Poetics and Greek Literature

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Reader Reviews