Critical Moments in Classical Literature: Studies in the Ancient View of Literature and its Uses

by Richard Hunter

Overview

Through a series of innovative critical readings Richard Hunter builds a picture of how the ancients discussed the meaning of literary works and their importance in society. He pays particular attention to the interplay of criticism and creativity by not treating criticism in isolation from the works which the critics discussed. Attention is given both to the development of a history of criticism, as far as our sources allow, and to the constant recurrence of similar themes across the centuries. At the head of the book stands the contest of Aeschylus and Euripides in Aristophanes' Frogs which foreshadows more of the subsequent critical tradition than is often realised. Other chapters are devoted to ancient reflection on Greek and Roman comedy, to the Augustan critic Dionysius of Halicarnassus, to 'Longinus', On the Sublime, and to Plutarch. All Greek and Latin is translated.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108460477
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/10/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	225
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Richard Hunter is Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity College. He has published extensively in the fields of Greek and Latin literature; his most recent books include Tradition and Innovation in Hellenistic Poetry (with M. Fantuzzi, 2004), The Shadow of Callimachus (2006), and Wandering Poets in Ancient Greek Culture (with I. Rutherford, 2008). Many of his essays are collected in On Coming After (2008).

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Aristophanes' Frogs and the critical tradition; 2. Readings of Homer: Euripides' Cyclops; 3. Comic moments; 4. The ugly peasant and the naked virgins: Dionysius of Halicarnassus, On Imitation; 5. The grand and the less grand: 'Longinus', On the Sublime; 6. Reading for life: Plutarch, How the young man should study poetry.

Editorial Reviews

"... minor reservations aside, this is a thought-provoking and enjoyable book. It is both accessible and challenging, especially in its introduction of little known or discussed texts that usually remain at the outer edges of students' and many scholars' awareness. "
BMCR

"Critical Moments in Classical Literature is a curious book; deeply learned, elegantly written, and filled with subtle observations on a vast array or texts … The individual chapters are filled with insightful observations on countless ancient critical passages …"
Hermathena

From the Publisher