The Trojan Epic: Posthomerica

by Quintus of Smyrna, Alan James

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801886355
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2007
Series:	Johns Hopkins New Translations from Antiquity
Pages:	408
Sales rank:	250,063
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.85(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alan James is Senior Lecturer in Classics emeritus at the University of Sydney.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
The Trojan Epic
1. Penthesileia
2. Memnon
3. The Death of Achilles
4. The Funeral Games of Achilles
5. The Contest for the Armor of Achilles
6. The Arrival of Eurypylos
7. The Arrival of Neoptolemos
8. The Death of Eurypylos
9. The Arrival of Philoktetes
10. The Death of Paris
11. The Defense of Troy
12. The Wooden Horse
13. The Sack of Troy
14. The Departure of the Greeks
Critical Summary
Commentary
Index of Names

What People are Saying About This

Peter Toohey

Provides a vivid retelling of events associated with the Trojan War subsequent to those outlined in the Iliad, but before those of the Odyssey—a very attractive way of learning about a wide range of the details associated with this most famous of all mythological legends. Dr. James is one of half a dozen of the most accomplished scholars of late Greek poetry in the world. It is especially gratifying to discover that his skill as a translator matches that of his skill as a scholar.

From the Publisher

Provides a vivid retelling of events associated with the Trojan War subsequent to those outlined in the Iliad, but before those of the Odyssey—a very attractive way of learning about a wide range of the details associated with this most famous of all mythological legends. Dr. James is one of half a dozen of the most accomplished scholars of late Greek poetry in the world. It is especially gratifying to discover that his skill as a translator matches that of his skill as a scholar.
—Peter Toohey, University of Calgary, Alberta

Editorial Reviews

James's accessible, lively rendition of Quintus's poem deserves to alter the face of ancient epic studies . . . He fuses a flexible and nuanced form of the ancient hexameter rhythm with contemporary idiom. His Posthomerica includes a superb introduction, lucid commentary, bibliography, index of the occurrence of proper names, and summaries of the action of each Book . . . A landmark publication.

Times Literary Supplement - Edith Hall

Posthomerica clearly aims to be a work of scholarship.

Mouseion: Journal of Classical Association of Canada - Robert Schmiel

Provides an excellent and accessible introduction, translation, and commentary for this neglected epic.

Classical Outlook - Jean Alvares

This third-century CE poem—which deals with the events surrounding Homer's Iliad and Odyssey—has been unfairly neglected and even denigrated by scholars more familiar with the Homeric epics. James attempts to rectify this situation in this comprehensive book.

Choice

"Through J.'s industry and scholarship Quintus is served well in this volume, which will generate interest in the Trojan Epic and pave the way for a much-needed literary reappraisal."

Journal of Hellenic Studies - Katerina Carvounis

"Amazingly, the first full-scale introduction to Quintus and his poem in English."

Bryn Mawr Classical Review - Martijn Cuypers

"Posthomerica clearly aims to be a work of scholarship."

Mouseion: Journal of Classical Association of Canada - Robert Schmiel

Posthomerica clearly aims to be a work of scholarship.

— Robert Schmiel

Mouseion: Journal of Classical Association of Canada

Through J.'s industry and scholarship Quintus is served well in this volume, which will generate interest in the Trojan Epic and pave the way for a much-needed literary reappraisal.

— Katerina Carvounis

Journal of Hellenic Studies

Provides an excellent and accessible introduction, translation, and commentary for this neglected epic.

— Jean Alvares

Classical Outlook

Amazingly, the first full-scale introduction to Quintus and his poem in English.

— Martijn Cuypers

Bryn Mawr Classical Review

James's accessible, lively rendition of Quintus's poem deserves to alter the face of ancient epic studies... He fuses a flexible and nuanced form of the ancient hexameter rhythm with contemporary idiom. His Posthomerica includes a superb introduction, lucid commentary, bibliography, index of the occurrence of proper names, and summaries of the action of each Book... A landmark publication.

— Edith Hall

Times Literary Supplement

James's accessible, lively rendition of Quintus's poem deserves to alter the face of ancient epic studies . . . He fuses a flexible and nuanced form of the ancient hexameter rhythm with contemporary idiom. His Posthomerica includes a superb introduction, lucid commentary, bibliography, index of the occurrence of proper names, and summaries of the action of each Book . . . A landmark publication.
—Edith Hall, Times Literary Supplement

Amazingly, the first full-scale introduction to Quintus and his poem in English.
—Martijn Cuypers, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

This third-century CE poem—which deals with the events surrounding Homer's Iliad and Odyssey—has been unfairly neglected and even denigrated by scholars more familiar with the Homeric epics. James attempts to rectify this situation in this comprehensive book.
—Choice

Provides an excellent and accessible introduction, translation, and commentary for this neglected epic.
—Jean Alvares, Classical Outlook

Through J.'s industry and scholarship Quintus is served well in this volume, which will generate interest in the Trojan Epic and pave the way for a much-needed literary reappraisal.
—Katerina Carvounis, Journal of Hellenic Studies

Posthomerica clearly aims to be a work of scholarship.
—Robert Schmiel, Mouseion: Journal of Classical Association of Canada

From the Publisher