GEC – WORLD LITERATURE

MODULE 1
GREEK LITERATURE

Greek Literature began in 800 BC to the modern Greek Literature of today.

Ancient Greek Literature was written in an ancient Greek dialect. This literature ranges
from the oldest surviving written works until works from approximately the fifth century
AD. This time period is divided into: (1) Preclassical Period; (2) Classical Period; (3)
Hellenistic Period; and (4) Roman Period.

Preclassical Period. Preclassical Greek literature primarily revolved around

myths and include the works of Homer which is the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Greeks
created poetry before making use of writing for literary purposes. Poems created in the
Preclassical Period were meant to be sung or recited. Most poems were focused on
myths and legends that were part folktale and part religion. Tragedies and comedies
emerged around 600BC.

Classical Period. The Classical Period saw the dawn of drama and history.
During this period, many of the genres of western literature became more prominent.
The literature that arose in this period were: (1) lyrical poetry; (2) ode; (3)pastoral; (4)
elegy; (5) epigram; (6) presentation of comedy and tragedy; (7) history; (8) rhetorical
treatise; (9) philosophical dialectic; and (10) philosophical treatise. The two major lyrical
poets during this period were: (1) Sappho; and (2) Pindar. The plays that survived
during this period were authored by: (1) Aeschylus; (2) Sophocles; and (3) Euripides.
The influential historians during this period were: (1) Herodotus; (2) Thucydides; and (3)
Xenophon. Xenophon wrote the book “Hellenica” which is considered an extension of
the work of Thucydides. The most famous philosophers during this period were: (1)
Socrates; (2) Plato; and (3) Aristotle.

Hellenistic Period. The Hellenistic Period is the time between the death of
Alexander the great and the rise of the Roman domination. The Greek colony in
northern Egypt became the center of Greek culture. Greek poetry flourished with
significant contributions from: (1) Theocritus; (2) Callimachus; and (3) Apollonius.

Roman Period. Roman literature was written in Latin and contributed significant
works to the subjects of poetry, comedy, history and tragedy. A large proportion of
literature from this period were histories. The significant historians during this period
were: (1) Timaeus; (2) Polybius; (3) Diodorus Siculus; (4) Dionysius of Halicarnassus;
(5) Appian of Alexandria; (6) Arrian; and (7) Plutarch.

Greek Mythology. The people of ancient Greece shared stories called myths.
These myths were about gods, goddesses and heroines. Each god and goddess was
worshipped as a deity and ruled over certain areas of the lives of the Greeks. These
exciting stories explained natural phenomena that could not be explained by science in
the ancient world.

END

Questions:
1) What literature arose in the classical period?
Literatures that arose in the classical period was lyrical poetry; ode;
pastoral; elegy; epigram; presentation of comedy and tragedy; history;
rhetorical treatise; philosophical dialectic; and philosophical treatise.

2) What is the centre of Greek culture?

The centre of Greek culture is the Greek colony in northern Egypt.

3) Who gave significant contributions to Greek poetry?

Theocritus, Callimachus, and Apollonius gave significant contributions to
Greek poetry, poems became more developed during those period.

4) Who were the significant historians during the Roman period?

The significant historians during the Roman period were Timaeus;
Polybius; Diodorus Siculus; Dionysius of Halicarnassus; Appian of
Alexandria; Arrian; and Plutarch.

5) Who were the most famous Greek tragedy writers? What were their works?
The most famous Greek tragedy writers were Sophocles, Euripides, and
Aeschylus. Sophocles wrote “Antigone” and “Oedipus Rex”. Euripides
wrote “Medea” and “The Trojan Women”. On the other hand, Aeschylus
wrote “The Oresteia” and “Prometheus Bound”. These three famous
playwrights competed in and won every year.