Greek Elegy and Iambus
A Selection

A selection of the work of ten poets with detailed introduction and linguistic, literary and cultural commentary suitable for students.

William Allan (Edited by)

9781107122994, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 August 2019

266 pages, 1 map
22.3 x 14.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.47 kg

'Allan's commentary is sensitive and well-edited and will offer good guidance to those who want to learn about, or embark on research on, aspects of the history of early Greek iambus and elegy.' Demetrios Yatromanolakes, EIRENE: Studia Graeca et Latina

Elegy and iambus are major forms of Greek literature which are crucial to understanding the Archaic and early Classical periods in particular. This edition gathers work by ten poets: two iambic (Semonides and Hipponax), six elegiac (Callinus, Tyrtaeus, Mimnermus, Theognis, Xenophanes, Simonides), and two writing in both forms (Archilochus and Solon). It explores a representative sample of each poet's surviving work, while also highlighting their variety, and provides an up-to-date commentary on major pieces, including recent discoveries such as Simonides' Plataea elegy and Archilochus' Telephus elegy. The wide-ranging Introduction discusses such issues as poet and persona, contexts of performance, and various cultural themes (expansion and contact with foreign cultures, social and political revolution, sexuality and gender, rationalism) as well as language, style, metre, and textual transmission. The volume will be of interest to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to scholars of early Greek literature and cultural history.

Introduction
1. Elegy and iambus as poetic forms
2. Performance and mobility
3. Poets and personae
4. Society and culture
5. Language, style, metre
6. Transmission of the text
Greek elegy and Iambus: A Selection: Archilochus
Semonides
Callinus
Tyrtaeus
Mimnermus
Solon
Theognis
Xenophanes
Hipponax
Simonides
Commentary.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Poetry anthologies [various poets DCQ], Translation & interpretation [CFP]