A History of Classical Greek Literature Volume 1, (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1895 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX. THE LATER HISTORY OF EPIC POETRY.1 108. With the so-called cyclic poets, the natural course of epic poetry had reached the close of its development. Other species of poetry arose and satisfied the wants of a newer age. The historical sense of the Greeks, late in growth and slow in development, at last substituted prose narrative of real facts for the poetical treatment of myths. Nevertheless, the unsurpassed greatness of the old masterpieces perpetually tempted men of learning and refinement to try a new development on these models, which had shown a sustained grandeur that no succeeding form or metre could ever attain. But all these attempts were, nationally speaking, complete failures, though some of them which remain delight us by their beauty and the elegance of their execution.2 They were in ancient days the study of the learned few, in later the arena for displaying grammatical accuracy and artificial culture. Even CH.IX. PISANDER, ASIUS, PANY A SIS. i6r 1 This chapter offers no interest to the general reader, and Apollonius is the only literary figure which it contains. But some information concerning the later epic poets may fairly be demanded by the special student, perhaps even because they are obscure. 2 Chcerilus, in an extant fragment, probably from the opening of his Perseis, states the difficulties of the later epic poets with good sense and feeling: --TA fidxap, iforis ttjv KeTcoc xP"n "CSpis ctoiSijs, MouffcEwv Bepdirwj', St aicfiparos 3jv %ri eifi&v vvv 5' 3te irdvra 5e5aotat, %xovffi irelpara rxvait Sffraroi &ffre Sp6fiOV KareAeiirJjue0', oitie try effrl Tdvrrj irairraivcvra veo(vyts apfia ireairffai. in the last agonies of expiring heathenism, the school of Egypt poured out its turbid utterance of mystery and magic in ...