ENGLISH

The Stanzaic Architecture of Early Greek Elegy

By Christopher A. Faraone

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Year
2008
ISBN
0199236984, 9780199236985, 9780191553189
LCC
PA3113 .F37 2008
Open Library ID
OL16905758M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
839 kB (858856 bytes)
Pages
213\213
Topic
History
Library
avaxhome.ws
Scanned
yes
Time added
2010-05-31 15:29:46

Description

In this study of poetic form in early Greek elegy, Christopher A. Faraone argues against the prevailing assumption that it was a genre of stichic poetry derived from or dependent on epic verse. Faraone emphasizes the fact that early elegiac poets composed their songs to the tune of an aulos (a kind of oboe) and used a five-couplet stanza as a basic unit of composition. He points out how knowledge of the elegiac stanza can give us insight into how these poets alternated between stanzas of exhortation and meditation, used co-ordinated pairs of stanzas to construct lengthy arguments about excellence or proper human government, and created generic set pieces that they could deploy in longer compositions. Faraone's close analysis of nearly all the important elegiac fragments will greatly enhance understanding and appreciation of this poetic genre.

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