The Classical Tradition: Greek And Roman Influences On Western Literature [EPUB]

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E-Book Overview

Originally published in 1949, Gilbert Highet's seminal "The Classical Tradition" is a herculean feat of comparative literature and a landmark publication in the history of classical reception. As Highet states in the opening lines of his Preface, this book outlines "the chief ways in which Greek and Latin influence has moulded the literatures of western Europe and America". With that simple statement, Highet takes his reader on a sweeping exploration of the history of western literature. To summarize what he covers is a near-impossible task. Discussions of Ovid and French literature of the Middle Ages and Chaucer's engagement with Virgil and Cicero lead, swiftly, into arguments of Christian versus "pagan" works in the Renaissance, Baroque imitations of Seneca, and the (re)birth of satire. Building momentum through Byron, Tennyson, and the rise of "art of art's sake", Highet, at last, arrives at his conclusion: the birth and establishment of modernism. Though his humanist style may appear out-of-date in today's postmodernist world, there is a value to ensuring this influential work reaches a new generation, and Highet's light touch and persuasive, engaging voice guarantee the book's usefulness for a contemporary audience. Indeed, the book is free of the jargon-filled style of literary criticism that plagues much of current scholarship.

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E-Book Information

• Year: 1,985

• Pages: 800

• Language: English

• Topic: 102

• Identifier: 0195002067, 9780195002065

• Org File Size: 18,533,065

• Extension: epub

• Toc: Foreword Preface Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Dark Ages: English Literature Chapter 3: The Middle Ages: French Literature Chapter 4: Dante and Pagan Antiquity Chapter 5: Towards the Renaissance: Petrarch, Boccaccio, Chaucer Chapter 6: The Renaissance: Translation Chapter 7: The Renaissance: Drama Chapter 8: The Renaissance: Epic Chapter 9: The Renaissance: Pastoral and Romance Chapter 10: Rabelais and Montaigne Chapter 11: Shakespeare Chapter 12: The Renaissance and Afterwards: Lyric Poetry Chapter 13: Transition Chapter 14: The Battle of the Books Chapter 15: A Note on Baroque Chapter 16: Baroque Tragedy Chapter 17: Satire Chapter 18: Baroque Prose Chapter 19: The Time of Revolution Chapter 20: Parnassus and Antichrist Chapter 21: A Century of Scholarship Chapter 22: The Symbolist Poets and James Joyce Chapter 23: The Reinterpretation of the Myths Chapter 24: Conclusion Index