The Greek Attitude to Poetry and History

SATHER CLASSICAL LECTURES, Volume Twenty-seven: The Greek Attitude to Poetry and History examines the interplay between poetry and history in ancient Greece, focusing on figures like Homer, Aeschylus, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Demosthenes, while deliberately excluding Xenophon and later historians like Polybius. The study halts at the fourth century BCE due to the author’s limited time for researching later periods and the need to preserve the topic’s depth. Originating from lectures on Aristotle's Poetics delivered in Glasgow, the work retains its lecture style with minor scholarly additions. The title reflects an exploration of Greek poetry addressing historical themes and history adopting poetic modes, offering insights into the cultural and intellectual traditions of the time. Despite its fragmentary nature, the book provides a focused analysis of the dynamic relationship between historical narrative and poetic expression in ancient Greece.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1954.