Background Greek literature Page # 1

Greek literature history and characteristics in detail

The Literature Greek comprises a body of writings in Greek, with a continuous history
extending from the first millennium BC to the present. However, the great works were
produced during the early period, from the 8th to the 4th century BC. Greek literature history
and characteristics
In addition, back then, most of the great genres (epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, history, oratory,
and philosophy) were created and peaked. Similarly, the canons of ancient literature were
established. These were the main spiritual and cultural foundations of the Western world until
the end of the 19th century.
In fact, few literary traditions have been as influential in Western society as the literary works
of Ancient Greece. From the Homeric works to the reflections of Aristotle, Greek literature
forms the basis of modern thought. These productions are still at the center of Western culture.
Now, most of the works produced in the ancient period focused on myths and involved gods
and mortals. Latin literature, the other great influence in the Western world, was largely an
imitation of Greek paradigms. Many of the texts were presented in verse form, but there were
also prose compositions.
In a sense, in the ancient period, the culture was centered on the Greek language. Because of
this, many Romans felt a sense of inferiority. Even after the Romans conquered the Hellenistic
states, much literature, philosophy, and almost all science was practiced in Greek. In addition,
many Romans studied in the Greek schools of philosophy.
Among his many contributions, the development of the Greek alphabet and the many works
of Greek writers helped create the literary tradition that people still enjoy. Many Greek poems
and stories are still read and enjoyed in contemporary educational spaces.
Story
In the beginning, the authors of Greek literature were exclusively born in Greek
territory. These not only lived in Greece itself, but also in Asia Minor, the Aegean islands and
Magna Graecia (Sicily and southern Italy). Later, after the conquests of Alexander the Great,
Greek became the common language of the eastern Mediterranean lands and later of the
Byzantine Empire.
Greek literature was produced not only in a much wider area, but also in those whose mother
tongue was not Greek. Even before the Turkish conquest (1453), the area had started to shrink
again, and was now confined mainly to Greece and Cyprus.
All this vast knowledge came to be concentrated in one place, the Library of Alexandria. On
this site, he managed to store all the great works of Greek poets, historians, philosophers,
scientists and other writers. It is estimated that they contained more than half a million papyrus
scrolls.
Thus, it became a symbol of the growing scholarship of Greek culture. Similarly, it was an
area where thinkers and writers could conduct literary, historical, and scientific
studies. Unfortunately, the library was burned down in 48 BC.
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More than 40,000 works of Greek philosophy, literature, history, and science were burned and
lost. However, despite this loss, the Greek literary tradition remained profoundly rich and
impacted all of Western civilization.
Characteristics
In its early days, Greek literature was intended for oral “consumption” and therefore did not
depend on books or readers. Although the alphabet arrived in Greece around 800 BC, ancient
Greece was in many ways a society in which the spoken word prevailed over the written word.
In this way, literary production was characterized by verbal echoes and repetition of
terms. This trait was repeated in the compositions of the archaic and classical periods (Golden
Age). In these periods the great works that have transcended to today’s society were produced.
Because most of the literary production was destined to be listened to in community, it was
always connected to group meetings. The parties or symposiums, religious festivals, political
meetings or sessions of the courts of justice were the scenes for these works.
Due to this confrontational context, poets and writers always competed with each other and
with their predecessors. Poetic creation was, from the beginning, inseparable from imitation.
These are its main characteristics:
Use of rhetoric and oratory
In few societies has the power of fluent and persuasive language been valued more highly than
in Greece. In the use of tone of language, people did not raise or lower their voices much.
In this sense, the Greeks spoke with a very high volume of voice and used real words that
expressed sarcasm, interest, love, skepticism and hostility.
The emotion markers have been preserved, especially in the emotional attitude of the speaker
/ writer. Traits that have been inherited in current discourse.
Later this type of oratory provided a great incentive to study and instruct in the persuasive arts
of governments, especially in political debates in the assembly, and for attack and defense in
court. In fact, the most important speakers in history took their techniques from ancient Greek.
Importance of emotion and affection
Ancient Greek literature exhibited a great deal of emotion, either in the behavior of the
characters in the narrative or in the response elicited from the audience or readers. What’s
more, there was an extensive vocabulary of emotions in ancient Greece.
These emotions are: pity (compassion), anger, fear, love and jealousy. In addition, it relied on
a set of affective capacities, such as empathy , aggressiveness, cowering, and
attachment; emotions common to all human beings. Greek literature history and characteristics
Use the epic narrative
The Iliad and the Odyssey are prime examples of epic narrative, which in ancient times was a
long narrative poem, in a lofty style celebrating achievement. Both poems were based on plots
that grab the reader, and the story is told in language that is simple and direct, but eloquent.
They were oral poems, they were transmitted, developed and added in a vast period of time,
on which poets without names freely improvised.
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Includes lyrical poetry

Lyric poetry, characteristic of Greek literature, was mainly related to the worship of the gods
or the celebration of the victors in the great Hellenic games.
The lyrical chorale, which had lyre and aulos accompaniments, was very complicated in its
structure as it did not use traditional lines or stanzas.
Thus it was never used in exactly the same way again, although the metric units from which
the stanzas were constructed were drawn from a common collection. The form of the stanza
was normally related to the accompanying dance.
Use philosophical prose
Philosophical prose is considered the greatest literary achievement of the fourth century. He
was influenced by Socrates and his characteristic method of teaching led to dialogue. Its
greatest exponent was Plato.
In fact, the style of this author is considered of an unparalleled beauty, although the old critics
saw it too poetic. His works have also influenced posterity.
Presence of a human divinity
The ancient Greeks developed a religious understanding of the world based on divine
presences and traditional stories. Greek literature history and characteristics
The first important and most frequently observed characteristic of the Greek gods was their
human form. Unlike other religions, the Greeks did not give a prominent place in their
religious hierarchy to monsters, animals or strange imaginary creatures (although there are
some in Greek mythology, but they are clearly minor).
Thus, the Greek gods came to be included within a vast family of deities just as it happened in
the family of the Greeks. Therefore, in the Greek religious imagination, the highest and most
perfect manifestations of existence had forms and attributes exactly the same as those of their
human worshipers.
In fact, except for their power, beauty, and immortality, the Greek gods were exactly like
human beings in the way they looked, felt, or loved.
Inclusion of drama and tragedy
Tragedy is a form of drama in which a strong central character or hero ultimately fails and is
punished by the gods.
Usually in Greek tragedy the hero has a fatal flaw that causes his downfall. Tragic events were
often committed involuntarily, such as the episode in which Oedipus unknowingly kills his
father. Although there were others who were conscientious, like when Oreste takes revenge
on his father by killing him.
For many years, Aeschylus was the most successful playwright in Athens, winning various
competitions. One of his rivals, the Athenian writer Sophocles wrote the famous play Oedipus
Rex (Oedipus the King).
A third major writer named Euripides focused more on people than gods in his writing. Among
Euripides’ most famous works are Electra and The Trojan Woman .
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Rise of comedy
The word comedy seems to be connected by the derivation of the Greek verb meaning “to
delight,” which arose from the delights associated with the rites of Dionysus, a god of
vegetation.
Aristotle, in his poetics, affirmed that comedy originated in phallic songs and that, like tragedy,
it began in improvisation, although its progress went unnoticed.
When tragedy and comedy arose, poets wrote one or the other, according to their natural
inclination.
The distinction between tragedy and comedy is basic: tragedy imitates men who are better than
average men and comedy those who are worse. Greek literature history and characteristics
The purpose of the comic artist was to serve as a mirror to society to show its follies and vices,
in the hope that they would wake up.
The most important writer of comedies in ancient Greece was Aristophanes, whose works
included The Frogs and The Clouds . His works were witty and sarcastic. He often mocked
the leading political figures of the time, although the government tolerated it.
Use of Greek mythology
Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world, they also detail the lives and
adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures.
These mythological stories were initially spread in an oral-poetic tradition. The oldest Greek
literary sources are the epic poems of Homer, Iliad and Odyssey , which focus on the Trojan
War and its aftermath.
The poems the Theogony and the Works and Days , contain stories of the genesis of the world,
the succession of divine rulers, the succession of human ages or the origin of human evils.
Originality
This literature developed with little outside influence, and among all the literary expressions
the Greek one is characterized and highlighted by the great originality of the texts and genres.
The originality of Greek literature is due to the great leap that his writings made in creating a
break with the past.
The proof of this uniqueness is that Greek literature has managed to endure to this day and is
often taken as a reference to understand even current literature.

Genres of Greek literature

Epic narrative
The epic narrative had its beginnings in the need for men to tell the salient facts of their
history. In the Greek case, its configuration as a literary genre took place after the appearance
of writing.
This genre is represented by two great epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, although they do not
constitute the origin of the epic narrative. Very popular in ancient times, the epic was a long
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oral tale in verse with a high style and in which legendary or fictitious events were narrated. Its
objective was to celebrate the heroic actions of the peoples.
In the ancient world, the Iliad and the Odyssey formed a class apart among archaic epic
poems. From there other poems were later released that made up the so-called Greek epic
cycle.
Lyric poetry
Lyrical poetry was a type of poetry written in the first person that expressed personal emotions
or feelings . There is not enough historical data to fix the date of its appearance. However,
according to evidence, it spread rapidly throughout Greece from the 7th century BC. C.
This expansion occurred with great force especially among the Ionian populations that lived
along the coasts of the Aegean Sea. At this time it was known as the “lyrical age of
Greece.” However, it continued to be cultivated in later periods. Greek literature history and
characteristics
In addition to experimenting with different metrics, lyrical poets sang their songs to the
accompaniment of a lyre. This was a hand plucked stringed instrument. From there came the
name that would identify the genre as “lyrical poetry.”
Tragedy
According to historical evidence, the tragedy is an evolution of the dithyramb (a poetic
composition written in honor of the god Dionysus). The precursor of the tragedy was Arión de
Lesbos, who lived in the 7th century BC. C., and who is said to have worked in Corinth.
Later, Thespis (6th century BC) brought in an actor who conversed with the choir. This was a
revolution of the genre, and it became a regular feature of the Dionysian festivals in Athens. A
little later, the Greek playwright Aeschylus (525 BC-456 BC) introduced a second actor in the
play.
Comedy
Like the tragedy, the comedy grew out of the rituals in honor of Dionysus. It was a popular
and influential form of theater performed in Greece from the 6th century BC.
The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aristophanes (444 BC-385 BC) and Menander
(342 BC-292 BC). In their works, they mocked politicians, philosophers, and other artists.
In addition to maintaining their comic touch, the plays also offered an indirect view of Greek
society in general. They also provided details on the functioning of political
institutions. Additionally, they gave an overview of legal systems, religious practices,
education, and warfare in the Hellenic world.
Sometimes the plays also revealed something of the identity of the audience and showed the
true sense of humor of the Greeks. Finally, the Greek comedy and its immediate predecessor,
the Greek tragedy formed the foundation on which all modern theater rests.
Story
The first great writer in history was Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484 BC -426 BC). This
historian described the clash between Europe and Asia that culminated in the Persian war. His
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works were directed primarily for Athenian readers. The account of this war was the product
of an investigation among survivors of the conflict. Greek literature history and characteristics
Later, Thucydides (c.460-c. 400) changed the role of the historian from being a mere narrator
of past actions. Thanks to his work, it was possible to make an examination of the nature of
political power and the factors that determined the policies of the States.
The result of his work was a deeply military and political history of warfare, but of a more
penetrating quality. Thucydides investigated the psychological effect of war on individuals
and nations. His findings were interpreted through the many subsequent works and served as
elements of analysis of the societies.
Rhetoric and oratory
Both rhetoric and oratory had their heyday in Greece with the emergence of democratic forms
of government. The power of fluent and persuasive speech became necessary for political
debate in the assembly and for attack and defense in the courts of law. Even in the works of
Homer speeches were read that were masterpieces of rhetoric.
Philosophical prose
Greek philosophical prose writers included Anaximander (610 BC -545 BC), Anaximenes
(590 BC – between 528 and 525 BC), and Democritus (460 BC -370 BC). Socrates (470 BC-
399 BC) had great influence on this type of prose, imposing a characteristic method of teaching
by questions and answers.
Alexamenus of Taeos and Antisthenes, both disciples of Socrates, were the first to use
it. However, the greatest exponent of Socratic dialogue was Plato (427 BC -347 BC). Shortly
after Socrates’ death, Plato wrote some dialogues of his own, mostly short.