A Guide to Hellenistic Literature

This book is a guide to the extraordinarily diverse literature of the Hellenistic period. A guide to the literature of the Hellenistic age, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BCProvides overviews of the social, political, intellectual and literary historical contexts in which Hellenistic literature was producedIntroduces the major writers and genres of the periodProvides information about style, meter and languages to aid readers with no prior knowledge of the language in understanding technical aspects of literary GreekDistinctive in its coverage of current issues in Hellenistic criticism, including audience reception, the political and social background, and Hellenistic theories of literature