In the ancient world Homer was recognised as the fountainhead of culture. His poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were universally admired as examples of great literature which could never be surpassed. In this study, Richard Jenkyns re-examines the two Homeric epics and the work that is perhaps their closest rival, the Aeneid of Virgil. A wide range of topics is covered, including chapters on heroism and tragedy in the Iliad, morality in the Odyssey and Virgil's skilful reworking of elements from the two earlier epics. Essential reading for those who are unfamiliar with the works of Homer and Virgil, the author's lively and provocative approach will also appeal to more experienced scholars of classical literature.

Paul explores the relationship between films set in the ancient world and the classical epic tradition, arguing that there is a connection between the genres. Through this careful consideration of how epic manifests itself through different periods and cultures, we learn how cinema makes a claim to be a modern vehicle for a very ancient tradition.

William Allan's Very Short Introduction provides a concise and lively guide to the major authors, genres, and periods of classical literature. Drawing upon a wealth of material, he reveals just what makes the 'classics' such masterpieces and why they continue to influence and fascinate today.

Madness plays a vital role in many ancient epics: not only do characters go mad, but madness also often occupies a central thematic position in the texts. In this book, Debra Hershkowitz examines from a variety of theoretical angles the representation and poetic function of madness in Greek and Latin epic from Homer through the Flavians, including individual chapters devoted to the Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Lucan's Bellum Civile, and Statius' Thebaid. The study also addresses the difficulty of defining madness, and discusses how each epic explores this problem in a different way, finding its own unique way of conceptualizing madness. Epic madness interacts with ancient models of madness, but also, even more importantly, with previous representations of madness in the literary tradition. Likewise, the reader's response to epic madness is influenced by both ancient and modern views of madness, as well as by an awareness of intertextuality.

The newest novel from the critically-acclaimed author of WITCHBORN ... Fourteen-year-old Cadmus has been scholar Tullus's slave since he was a baby - his master is the only family he knows. But when Tullus disappears and a taciturn slave called Tog - daughter of a British chieftain - arrives with a secret message, Cadmus's life is turned upside down. The pair follow a trail that leads to Emperor Nero himself, and his crazed determination to possess the Golden Fleece of Greek mythology. This quest will push Cadmus to the edge of the Roman Empire - and reveal unexpected truths about his past ...

The literary epic and critical theories about the epic tradition are traced from Aristotle and Callimachus through Apollonius, Virgil, and their successors such as Chaucer and Milton to Eisenstein, Tolstoy, and Thomas Mann. Newman's revisionist critique will challenge all scholars, students, and general readers of the classics, comparative literature, and western literary traditions.

Fourteen essays on epic, oral and literary, from ancient to modern, from the Americas to India.