The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature

The new edition of this volume has been revised and expanded to reflect the changed needs of today's readers and the altered status of the the classics since this work was first published over 50 years ago. There are entries which cover the lives and works of all the principal authors, the development of the various literary forms (epic, comedy, tragedy, rhetorical writing), mythical and historical characters and places with important literary connections. Emphasis is placed on modern developments in literary criticism and the assessment of classical sources. The entries dealing with historical background have been expanded and broader coverage is given to religious topics - such as attitudes to the afterlife, the position of Christianity and atheism - and modern social matters which throw light on the kinds of society which gave rise to the literary and other artistic achievements of the classical world. Readers of this work will discover that a background in the classics is not assumed - all Greek is transliterated and translations are given for Latin and Greek.