Offers a literary and cultural-historical analysis of the Posthomerica Connects Quintus with a far wider range of ancient literature: historical, philosophical, dramatic, and rhetorical genres; and prosaic and poetic works Moves away from the localized study of particular aspects of the poem to a joined-up understanding of this era of epic, as a corpus engaging dialogically with issues of empire, literary inheritance and cultural change Intersects with the growing field of study of Late Antique literature, and the burgeoning interest in imperial Greek poetry and its accounts of the sack of Troy a story which continues to resonate in scholarly and public discourse This collection offers a new collaborative reading of Quintus Smyrnaeus' Posthomerica: one of the most important Greek epics written at the height of the Roman Empire. Building on the surge of interest in imperial Greek poetry seen in the past decades, this book applies new approaches - literary, theoretical and historical - to ask new questions about this mysterious, challenging poet and to re-evaluate his role in the cultural history of his time. Bringing together experienced imperial epic scholars and new voices in this growing field, the chapters reveal Quintus' crucial place within the inherited epic tradition and his role in shaping the literary and identity politics of Late Antique society.

About the Author
Silvio B r, Professor of Classics, University of Oslo.

Reviews
"As this splendid collection demonstrates, our times are suited to an appreciation of Quintus of Smyrna's epic, What Came after Homer, which might be called The Iliad: A Modern Sequel (with a wink to Kazantzakis). This volume is unquestionably the best introduction to its originality and complex relation to the past." -David Konstan, Professor of Classics, New York University



Book Information
ISBN 9781474493598
Author Silvio B r
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press