Linguistics into interpretation : speeches of war in Herodotus VII 5 and 8-18 /
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This volume is a sustained exercise in the genre of secondary literature which aims at explaining a literary work as much as possible in and through the author's own words. A crucial passage in direct speech by different speakers from the History of Herodotus, the earliest long Greek prose text, has been made the object of a systematic effort to distill and analyse the linguistic characteristics relevant to its interpretation, by confronting it with the rest of the work as well as with earlier and contemporary writings. This is done with the primary aim of placing the interpretation of a major author on the firmest ground available, the author's inches per secondissimi verba . The result, made accessible by full indexes, will prove helpful to readers of any part of Herodotus' History .
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1 online resource (xlv, 325 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004351264 :
0169-0985 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Aristophanes and Athenian society of the early fourth century B.C. /
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The purposes of this short monograph are to identify and analyze the problems of Athenian society with which the last two extant plays of Aristophanes - the Ekklesiazousai and the Ploutos - are concerned, as well as to examine the playright's views on the essence of these problems and on attempts to find satisfactory solutions to them. The work contains an introduction and seven sections: 1. Historical Background; 2. Poverty: Symptoms, Ideas regarding Solutions and Criticisms of Ideas; 3. Poverty versus Riches; 4. The sources of the ''Communistic'' Ideas; 5. Misthos Ekklesiastikos ; 6. The Censure of Materialism; 7. Aristophanes and the ''Middle Road''. The author has attempted here to set forth both the value of Aristophanes' last plays as historical sources and the significance of their social message.
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1 online resource (46 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-46). :
9789004328167 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Three Aeginetan odes of Pindar : a commentary on Nemean V, Nemean III and Pythian VIII /
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A study of three epinicia of Pindar, which have in common that they celebrate victories of Aeginetan athletes and that they respond to the contemporary political situation in Aegina and to circumstances of the victory. The primary objective of this book is to provide an interpretation of each of the three odes as meaningful, coherent works of the literary art. For each ode, it provides a commentary in which problems of text and interpretation are discussed in detail, a structural and metrical analysis, and an interpretative essay, in which the observations of detail are brought together in order to provide an answer to the question as to how the ode at hand could have functioned as a coherent, meaningful epinicion . The introduction addresses questions of method and provides a description of Pindar's style.
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1 online resource (xii, 721 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 667-698) and indexes. :
9789004351240 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Voice into text : orality and literacy in ancient Greece /
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This volume deals with orality and literacy in ancient Greece and what consideration of these areas yields for that society, its literature, traditions and practices. Individual chapters focus on art, comedy, historiography, oratory, religion, rhetoric, philosophy, poetry, tragedy, and on orality in contemporary cultures (Greek and South African), which have a bearing on the ancient world. By considering such factors as oral elements in various genres and practices and how these have shaped the texts we have today, as well as the extent of literacy and the impact of literacy on oral traditions and on singers/writers, the book presents another insight into ancient Greek society and its people.
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1 online resource (x, 232 pages, [8] pages of plates) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-230) and index. :
9789004329836 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Statius Thebaid VII : a commentary /
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The epic poem the Thebaid by P. Papinius Statius, written about AD 80 to 92, deals with the fraternal strife between Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices for the mastery of Thebes. Book VII describes the forced march of the Seven and their arrival at Thebes, Jocasta's vain attempt at mediation and Amphiaraus' spectacular katabasis . This book is the first which deals with Thebaid VII since Barth (1664) and Amar andamp; Lemaire (1825-30). Apart from being a commentary in the philological sense, it examines in close detail the poet's mannered style and analyses the text as a system of intertextual references. In addition to Homer and Vergil, specific passages from Euripides, Lucan, Seneca and especially Valerius Flaccus were exploited by Statius to create his challenging imitation. The identification of these sources offers the key to interpret and evaluate the poet's artistic intentions. The Introduction discusses Statius' technique of multiple imitation. The information brought together has been made easily accessible by full indexes and an appendix listing the passages imitated by Statius.
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1 online resource (xlii, 462 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 424-434) and indexes. :
9789004329393 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Grammar as interpretation : Greek literature in its linguistic contexts /
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Looking at its subject from the standpoint of modern discourse analysis, this study deals with problems of style and grammar in Greek and Latin texts. Its aim is to shed light on the interaction between the mechanism of the Greek and Latin languages as interactive tools and the structure of the texts that have come down to us. The interpretive orientation offered differs from most literary studies in its taking linguistic observations as point of departure, and its considering grammar as a positive factor in the interpretive process. It differs from most linguistic studies in the field in demonstrating the importance of linguistic methodology for classical philology in general. The book contains studies of various authors, genres, and text types, preceded by an introductory essay on the role of grammar in philology.
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1 online resource (262 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004330061 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Critical notes on Plato's Politeia /
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This volume is intended to accompany the new Oxford edition of Plato's Republic , published in 2003. It is based on a series of ten articles in Mnemosyne , dating from 1988 to 2003. It contains discussions of textual problems of various kinds. Much attention is paid to Plato's use of particles, to the moods and tenses of the verb, and to pragmatics and style. Moreover, the transmission of the text receives ample attention. The book is highly recommended for users of the new edition of the Republic , for those interested in the transmission of the Platonic corpus and in Platonic Greek and for students of linguistics in general.
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1 online resource (x, 199 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-199) and index. :
9789047406693 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Free speech in classical antiquity /
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This book contains a collection of essays on the notion of "Free Speech" in classical antiquity. The essays examine such concepts as "freedom of speech," "self-expression," and "censorship," in ancient Greek and Roman culture from historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives. Among the many questions addressed are: what was the precise lexicographical valence of the ancient terms we routinely translate as \'Freedom of Speech,\' e.g., Parrhesia in Greece, Licentia in Rome? What relationship do such terms have with concepts such as isêgoria , dêmokratia and eleutheria ; or libertas , res publica and imperium ? What does ancient theorizing about free speech tell us about contemporary relationships between power and speech? What are the philosophical foundations and ideological underpinnings of free speech in specific historical contexts?
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Consists of a collection of papers presented at the second Penn-Leiden Colloquium on Ancient Values, held in June 2002 at the University of Pennsylvania. :
1 online resource (xii, 450 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047405689 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Gorgon's severed head : studies in Alcestis, Electra, and Phoenissae /
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The Gorgon's Severed Head looks at three plays of Euripides, one early, one middle and one late in his career. Innovations in genre, in the use of the traditional stories, in the representation of women and of gender issues are present at every period. In all three plays characters are depicted creating themselves and each other. Chapter One on Alcestis looks at the artistry of the two main characters and is especially concerned with finding a role for Admetus, the play's most serious problem. The second chapter treats the physical displacement of the myth in Euripides' version of the Electra-Orestes story. A last section approaches the layers of time and space in Phoenissae .
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1 online resource (xv, 255 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004329799 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The propaganda of power : the role of panegyric in late antiquity /
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The 13 essays presented here shed new light on the role of panegyric in the western and eastern Roman Empire in the late antique world. Introductory chapters give an overview of panegyrical theory and practice, followed by studies of major writers of the early empire and the anonymous Panegyrici latini . The core of the volume deals with prose and verse panegyric under the Christian Roman Empire (4th-7th century): key themes addressed are social and political context, the 'hidden agenda', and the impact of Christianity on the pagan tradition of the panegyric, including the portrayal of patriarchs and holy men.
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1 online resource (x, 378 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004351479 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The mythic voice of Statius : power and politics in the Thebaid /
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This is the first thematic study of Statius' Thebaid to be published in monograph form in English in the past twenty years. It examines in detail the thematic design and intent of the Thebaid and considers the question of its contemporary relevance. The book focuses on the central theme of power - how it is exercised on the supernatural and human levels and the consequences of its pursuit and abuse in terms of the human condition. An ensuing discussion explores the political undercurrents of the epic. This discussion is in four main parts: (1) 'Use and Abuse of Supernatural Power'; (2) 'Pursuit and Abuse of Monarchal Power'; (3) 'Consequences of the Abuse of Power'; and (4) 'Political Relevance to Contemporary Rome'. The views expressed represent a fundamental departure from previous studies and constitute a critical reassessment of the Thebaid . The provision of translations makes the book accessible to the Latinless reader.
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1 online resource (xiv, 198 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 184-190) and indexes. :
9789004329416 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The statesman in Plutarch's Greek and Roman lives /
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This volume presents the second half of the proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of the International Plutarch Society (2002). The selected papers are divided by theme in sections concentrating on statesmen and statesmanship in Plutarch's Greek and Roman Lives . The volume bears witness to the ongoing, wide-ranging interest in Plutarch's biographies.
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1 online resource (xx, 395 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047405191 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Commentaries on Pindar /
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This volume contains word-for-word commentaries on Pindar's Olympian Odes 3, 7, 12, 14. Emphasis is placed on the explanations of peculiarities of grammar and idiom, but due attention is paid to figures of style and problems of poetic structure. The interpretations proposed by the author - many of them which are new - are documented as fully, but at the same time as concisely, as possible. This documentation, which includes a critical examination of other views, has been made more easily accessible by detailed indexes. The poems discussed do not have special similarities or interrelationships. On the other hand, they may be considered representative of the poet's art. From this point of view, the present selection may serve as an introduction to the study of Pindar's work. Vol. II will contain commentaries on Olympians 1, 10, 11, Nemean 11, and Isthmian 2. A third volume on Pythians 1, 8, 10 is inteded to conclude the series.
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1 online resource (xi, 132 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004328327 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Ancient stepmothers : myth, misogyny, and reality /
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Ancient Stepmothers is the first full-length study of the stepmother in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Several perspectives are covered: literary, historical and sociological, the last-mentioned making use of comparative material from modern studies of stepfamilies. The portrayal of the stepmother in myth and literature is thoroughly explored. The historical background in Athens and Rome is examined with a view to determining the relationship between fiction and real life. The book makes an important contribution to the study of both literary history and family relationships: in particular, it sheds light on attitudes to women, the portrayal of the stepmother being an outstanding illustration of misogynistic prejudice. It will also interest sociologists wishing to place studies of the contemporary stepfamily in a wider historical context: for this reason, all Greek and Latin is translated into English.
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1 online resource (xii, 288 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 272-277) and indexes. :
9789004329485 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Narrative setting and dramatic poetry /
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This volume evaluates a single element of tragic art, namely the way in which narrative descriptions of place participate in the poetry of tragedy. They join together structures of the theater to create a context for tragic performance, and ultimately reflect upon tragedy's connection to earlier narrative forms and to the traditional tales that regularly supply tragic plots. The first part of this book examines the introductory function of spatial descriptions and the peculiar resources offered to the playwright by cult settings. In the second part, the spatial oppositions, that are inherent structuring devices in traditional tales, are taken up in chapters treating the motif of exile in extant tragedy.
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Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral--Yale), presented in 1985 under the title, Setting and theme in Greek tragedy. :
1 online resource (178 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-168) and index. :
9789004329201 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Signs of orality : the oral tradition and its influence in the Greek and Roman world /
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The essays in this volume present new insights into the far-reaching influence of an early oral culture on subsequent development after the spread of literacy. At the outset, revisionist essays on the Homeric epics examine such questions as historical memory, Homer's audience(s), descriptive strategies, ring-composition, and the status of orality as a constitutive feature of the epics. These are followed by virtually unprecedented studies of the orality of later (written) literature, including Greek oratory, Virgilian epic, Pliny's Panegyricus and story-telling in late Greek writers. Included as well are two discussions of Athenian vase-painting: annular scene-composition in the black-figure tradition, and the implications of kalos -inscriptions. An introduction by leading oral theorist John Miles Foley situates all the essays at the leading edge of oral theoretical development.
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1 online resource (x, 261 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004351424 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Speaking volumes : orality and literacy in the Greek and Roman world /
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This volume examines orality and literacy in the ancient Greek and Roman world through a range of perspectives and in various genres. Four essays on the Homeric epics present recent research into performative aspects of language, cognitive theory and oral composition, a re-evaluation of Parry's oral-formulaic theory, and a new perspective on the poem's transmission. These are complemented by studies of the oral nature of Greek proverbial expressions, and of poetic authority within a fluid oral tradition. Two essays consider the significance of the written word in a predominantly oral culture, in relation to star calendars and to Panathenaic inscriptions. Finally, two chapters consider the ongoing influence of oral tradition in the ancient novel and in Roman declamation. These essays illustrate the importance of considering ancient texts in the context of fluctuating oral and literate influences.
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1 online resource (xvi, 235 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 216-228) and index. :
9789004351028 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Justice as an aspect of the polis idea in solon's political poems : a reading of the fragments in light of the of the researches of new classical archaeology.
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This book examines the meaning of justice or dike in the political poems of Solon from a new interpretative perspective. The first two chapters argue that neither standard historical nor literary treatments have provided an adequate foundation for understanding Solon's dike . The main defect lies in an inability to connect Solon's concrete political work with his poetic perceptions. The book's central proposal is that the polis idea, from new classical archaeology, provides an objective standard for an interpretation of Solon's dike , which remedies this defect. The third chapter sets forth the polis idea, which becomes the measure for an examination, in the final two chapters, of Solon's view of dike . The book thus exhibits an interdisciplinary approach to Archaic poetry.
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1 online resource (xviii, 284 pages) :
9789047402138 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The renewal of epic : responses to Homer in the Argonautica of Apollonius /
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The Renewal of Epic considers various modes of allusion to Homer in the Argonautica of Apollonius, dealing not only with similarities in phraseology but also with thematic and structural resemblances. After an introduction, two chapters discuss Apollonian techniques in treating repeated Homeric scenes: sacrifice, shipwreck, boxing and battle. The central section of the work considers the multiple links between the adventures of the Argonauts and Odysseus' wanderings. A final chapter explores Apollonius' innovative treatment of the divine, both generally and in particular scenes. The work shows convincingly that the Argonautica reproduces many of the patterns which have been found in the Iliad and Odyssey . It demonstrates the presence of allusion at every level in the poem, linking it to its predecesors and acting as an essential interpretative aid to the reader.
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1 online resource (x, 335 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 306-317) and indexes. :
9789004329775 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.