John Boardman

Jasper Griffin

Oswyn Murray

"First published 1986 ... in The Oxford history of the classical world"--T.p. verso.

The Oxford History of Greece and the Hellenistic World

Jowett Lecturer and Tutor in Classics Jasper Griffin

Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art and Fellow John Boardman

Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History Oswyn Murray

Provides an overview of classical Greek and Roman history, literature, art, philosophy, architecture, religion, government, and daily life

The Oxford History of the Classical World

The Odyssey

Homer

This handy guide will introduce students to a text that has been fundamental to literature for nearly 3000 years. It gives readers a summary of The Odyssey and examines its structure. The values and techniques of the poem are clearly outlined, as are the reasons for its longstanding appeal.

The period from the emergence of the Greek city-state in the eighth century BC to the reign of Alexander the Great and the establishment of Greek monarchies was one unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This book reproduces the text of the hugely successful Oxford History of the Classical World: Greece and the Hellenistic World in a standard paperback form. Written by a team of leading classical scholars, it includes chapters on political and social history, Homer, Greek myth, drama, science, and the great philosophers. All the original line drawings and maps have been retained, and an eight-page plate section has been specially selected for this edition by Sir John Boardman. - ;The period from the emergence of the Greek city-state in the eighth century BC to the reign of Alexander the Great and the establishment of Greek monarchies was one unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This book reproduces the text of the hugely successful Oxford History of the Classical World: Greece and the Hellenistic World in a standard paperback form. Written by a team of leading classical scholars, it includes chapters on political and social history, Homer, Greek myth, drama, science, and the great philosophers. All the original line drawings and maps have been retained, and an eight-page plate section has been specially selected for this edition by Sir John Boardman. -

Virgil lived through the fall of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Empire, and in his poems we see a series of attempts, increasingly ambitious in scale and conception, to combine technical brilliance with profound meditations on the nature of imperialism and the relation of the individual and the State. From short pastoral poems he progressed to the heroic myth of the founding of Rome, the Aeneid, recognized as the greatest masterpiece of Latin literature and an incalculable influence on Dante, Milton, Berlioz, Tennyson, and T.S. Eliot. In this concise introduction to the poetic achievement of Virgil, Griffin explores the thought of this great poet, placing him in his historical and literary context.

Virgil

This book demonstrates how Homeric poetry manages to confer significance on persons and actions, interpreting the world and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Taking central themes like characterization, death, and the gods, the author argues that current ideas of the limitations of "oral poetry" are unreal, and that Homer embodies a view of the world both unique and profound.

Homer on Life and Death

Jasper Griffin discusses the background of the poem, The Odyssey, in oral poetry. He shows that the epic has a coherent structure built upon the interplay of themes such as travel, hospitality, loyalty, family affection, and a keen and discerning interest in women.

Homer, The Odyssey

This handy guide to The Odyssey will introduce students to a text, which has been fundamental to literature for nearly 3000 years. Readers will be introduced to the world in that the Odyssey was produced, to the text itself and to its origins in oral poetry. This volume gives a summary of the poem and examines its structure. The unity, values and techniques of the poem are clearly outlined, as are the reasons for its longstanding appeal. This guide delves into the diverse world of the story; that of monsters, gods, and enchantresses which interacts with the very different world of the home, marriage and the family. Students will be introduced to the essential themes of loyalty and betrayal, and guided through the narrative of Odysseus' adventures, which also illustrate the workings of the world and the justice of heaven. Readers will also find a very helpful guide to further reading.

Jasper Griffin

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