Theocritus: A Selection: Idylls 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 13

Theocritus

Cambridge University Press, Feb 4, 1999 - Literary Collections - 308 pages

This volume contains the text of eight poems by the third-century BC Greek poet Theocritus, together with an introduction and extensive commentary. This is the first full-scale commentary on the work of Theocritus since Gow's edition of 1950, and is the first to exploit the recent revolution in the study of Hellenistic and Roman poetry. It offers new readings of all the poems, which show both how Theocritus differs from subsequent pastoral poetry but also how his poems, through their influence on Virgil, established the Western pastoral tradition.

About the author

Regarded as the creator of pastoral poetry, Theocritus was a native of Syracuse and lived in Alexandria. About 30 idylls and a number of his epigrams are extant. His genuine love of the country lends freshness and great beauty to the idylls; his bucolic characters are realistic and alive. He is a master of dramatic presentation, description, and lyrical refinement. He has had many imitators, among them Virgil and Spenser. The surviving works of two other Greek pastoral poets are often included with those of Theocritus: Moschus of Syracuse, who lived in the second century b.c. and Bion, who is best known for his Lament for Adonis. The Andrew Lang translation in prose of these three poets is considered an English classic.

R. Lanny Hunter studied psychiatry prior to specializing in dermatology for thirty-five years and has devoted much

of his own time to researching the medical dimensions of mental health in an effort to better serve hurting people around him. He has served on boards of directors and in advisory roles for many organizations, including United Way, the Health Advisory Committee of Northern Arizona University, and the Flagstaff Hospice Program.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Theocritus: A Selection: Idylls 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 13; Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics
• Author: Theocritus
• Editor: Richard L. Hunter
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1999
• ISBN: 0521574161, 9780521574167
• Length: 308 pages
• Subjects: Literary Collections / Ancient & Classical; Literary Criticism / Ancient & Classical; Poetry / European / General