The Invention of Prose (New Surveys in the Classics, Series Number 32) - Softcover

Goldhill, Simon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198525230 ISBN 13: 9780198525233

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

This is the first general study of the earliest writers of Greek prose for students and teachers alike. Looking at history, medicine, science, philosophy and rhetoric, it asks why and how these new genres of writing came about in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE It is thus a study of the cultural and political revolution known as the Greek enlightenment, which has proved so influential and important for modern Western thought and society. Questions discussed include how and why rhetoric played such a role in democracy, how history written in prose changes a view of the past, and how science and philosophy construct new models of understanding what authority is. An exploration is offered of how literary history and social and political history interact. Written in a lively and clear style, the book makes a perfect introduction to the classical world of Athens.

About this title

Book Description:

This is the first general study of the earliest writers of Greek prose for students and teachers alike. It looks at history, medicine, science, philosophy and rhetoric and asks why and how these new genres of writing came about in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0198525230
• ISBN 13: 9780198525233
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 140