Hesiod
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Robert Lamberton
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Standing at the very beginning of European literature, the poems and verse fragments that have come down to us under Hesiod’s name tap the vast reservoir of oral tradition constituting Greek wisdom about the ways of gods and men. The Theogony tells of the origins of the gods and the universe, and so of the world-order we know, while the Works and Days offers the first picture of the society and economy of archaic rural Greece.
Robert Lamberton provides here an accessible introduction to these works of Hesiod. He discusses the historical background of the poems and the problems of accurately dating them, analyzes the major and subsidiary works, and concludes by tracing the influence of Hesiodic poetry on later Greek and Roman poetry and on Western European literature until after the Renaissance. Throughout, Lamberton restores a sense of the poetry of Hesiod in all the richness of its contradictions. He shows that this body of poetry, which sings of the creation of the universe and the generations of the gods, insists on doing so from the perspective of the humblest of men—a wretched shepherd whom the Muses initiated on Mount Helikon. The poetry speaks through this idiosyncratic, ironic, self-conscious voice, appropriating proverbial wisdom that is clearly the possession of a tradition rather than any individual and transforming it into a discourse that is as much an account of poetry as it is an account of the world.
“An important and definitive book. Lamberton combines the sophistication of cultural anthropology with a refined sense for the mechanics and aesthetics of archaic Greek literature and gives Hesiod a fresh and original reading.”—Gregory Nagy, Harvard University
Robert Lamberton provides here an accessible introduction to these works of Hesiod. He discusses the historical background of the poems and the problems of accurately dating them, analyzes the major and subsidiary works, and concludes by tracing the influence of Hesiodic poetry on later Greek and Roman poetry and on Western European literature until after the Renaissance. Throughout, Lamberton restores a sense of the poetry of Hesiod in all the richness of its contradictions. He shows that this body of poetry, which sings of the creation of the universe and the generations of the gods, insists on doing so from the perspective of the humblest of men—a wretched shepherd whom the Muses initiated on Mount Helikon. The poetry speaks through this idiosyncratic, ironic, self-conscious voice, appropriating proverbial wisdom that is clearly the possession of a tradition rather than any individual and transforming it into a discourse that is as much an account of poetry as it is an account of the world.
“An important and definitive book. Lamberton combines the sophistication of cultural anthropology with a refined sense for the mechanics and aesthetics of archaic Greek literature and gives Hesiod a fresh and original reading.”—Gregory Nagy, Harvard University
"An important and definitive book. Lamberton combines the sophistication of cultural anthropology with a refined sense for the mechanics and aesthetics of archaic Greek literature and gives Hesiod a fresh and original reading."—Gregory Nagy, Harvard University
"Sensitive as it is to modern theories of language as well as to Hesiod’s poetic techniques, this important study is truly admirable for its inspiration and originality."—Library Journal
"A fascinating, exciting, and very readable book."—Choice
"Lamberton’s well-rounded text points the way for required reading in courses introducing Greek literature or mythology."—David N. Wigtil, Religious Studies Review
"[A] highly sensitive and literate presentation of Hesiod. . . . An excellent overview of the Boeotian bard."—John Rexine, Classical World
"A fresh and readable work which is welcome for the enthusiastic attention the author gives the Theogony, and the more qualified interested he shows in the Shield. . . . This re-opening of a number of critical issues is welcome, and the reader will certainly derive from this book a sense of why Hesiod is interesting, and how reading him can be enjoyable."—Greece and Rome
"This book, written with a real appreciation and understanding of the Hesiodic poems, is a welcome addition to the ’Hermes’ series."—Jennifer R. March, Classical Review
ISBN: 9780300040692
Publication Date: September 10, 1988
Publication Date: September 10, 1988
192 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
