GREEK LITERATURE: AN INTRODUCTION

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on Greek literature, including periods, genres, major authors, works, and cultural context.

What are the three historical periods of ancient Greek literature?

Archaic (to the end of the 6th century BC), Classical (5th–4th centuries BC), and Hellenistic/Greco-Roman (3rd century BC onward).

What was a primary characteristic of early Greek literature?

It was largely oral; writing for literary purposes was limited before the 7th century BC.

Which genres did Greek literature develop?

Epic poetry, lyric poetry, drama (comedy and tragedy), philosophy, and historical writings.

What themes did Greek literature often address?

Political issues, gods, wars, and warriors (historical legends).

Which two epic works mark the beginning of Greek literature, and who wrote them?

The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer (dated around 800 BC or later).

Who authored Theogony and Works and Days?

Hesiod.

What is a distinctive feature of ancient Greek drama in performance?

The use of giant masks to project voices and display character emotions.

Who are the three tragedians whose plays survived?

Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Which playwright is known for Oedipus Rex and Antigone and for introducing irony?

Sophocles.

What contribution is Aeschylus credited with in drama?

Developing character and dialogue in tragedy.

How did Euripides influence tragedy?

Challenged social norms and emphasized female characters.

From what origins did Old Comedy arise, and who is a principal surviving comic playwright?

From a ritual in honor of Dionysus; Aristophanes is a principal surviving comic playwright.

Name two influential historians of the Classical age and a writer who extended Thucydides’ work.

Herodotus and Thucydides; Xenophon wrote Hellenica as an extension.

What was the greatest prose achievement of the 4th century BC?

Philosophy; the era produced Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Who were the two major lyrical poets of the Classical period?

Sappho and Pindar.

Who created pastoral poetry, and which Roman poet later mastered it?

Theocritus created pastoral poetry; Virgil mastered it in his Eclogues.

Which playwright represents the New Comedy during the Hellenistic period?

Menander.

What is the Septuagint and where was it produced?

The Greek translation of the Old Testament, produced in Alexandria and completed by the end of the 2nd century BC.

Which city became the center of Greek culture after Alexander the Great’s era?

Alexandria, in northern Egypt.

Which poets contributed to Greek poetry in the Hellenistic period?

Theocritus, Callimachus, and Apollonius of Rhodes.

What festival is associated with the origin of Greek comedy?

From a Dionysian ritual; Old Comedy was associated with the festival of Dionysus.

What is noted about the Western literary tradition in relation to Greek literature?

The Western literary tradition began with Greek literature.