Hesiod and Theognis
by Hesiod, Theognis, Dorothea Wender (Translator, Introduction by)
ISBN-10: 0140442839
ISBN-13: 9780140442830
$14.00
Book Specs
Binding
UK-B Format Paperback
Publisher
Penguin Classics
Published on
Aug 26, 1976
Edition
1st Edition
Dimensions
0.43x5.12x7.82 Inches
Weight
0.31 Pounds
About the Book
Together the poetry of Hesiod and Theognis offers a superb introduction to the life and thought of ancient Greece. Hesiod's Theogoney (c. 725 BCE) is a powerful creation myth- an epic, bloody tale of dark forces, sex and violence, tracing the history of the world from primeval Chaos to the establishment of Zeus as supreme king of the gods. In contrast, Hesiod's Works and Days, written to advise his indolent brother Perseus, is an intriguing, sophisticated combination of ethical maxims, social and political comment and superstitious law. Elegiac rather than epic, the works of Theognis - written some two centuries after Hesiod - include theological speculations, love lyrics and moral advice for his protege Kurnos, reflecting the moods and themes of an aristocratic poet who mourned a changing Greek society.