How are poetry and the figure of the poet represented, discussed, contested within the poetry of ancient Greece? From what position does a poet speak? With what authority? With what debts to the past? With what involvement in the present? Through a series of interrelated essays on Homer, lyric poetry, Aristophanes, Theocritus and Apollonius of Rhodes, this landmark volume discusses key aspects of the history of poetics: tale-telling and the representation of man as the user of language; memorial and praise; parody, comedy and carnival; irony, masks and desire; the legacy of the past and the idea of influence. Detailed readings of major works of Greek literature and liberal use of critical writings from outside Classics help to align modern and ancient poetics in enlightening ways. This revised edition contains a substantial new Introduction which engages with critical and scholarly developments in Greek literature since the original publication.

‘Goldhill is an alert, subtle and well-informed critic, both of ancient literature and of modern commentary. The routes he takes to his conclusions often raise questions not to be dismissed lightly.'

Malcolm Heath - Professor of Greek Language and Literature, University of Leeds

‘These essays present a sophisticated picture of poetry's relationship to its culture, arguing that, for example, the praise tradition is not simply one of similarity but also of difference.'

Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz - Professor of Comparative Literature Emerita, Hamilton College