Classical Literature: A Concise History

by Richard Rutherford

This accessible one-volume survey of the literature of Greece and Rome covers the period between Homer around 700 BC and Augustine around AD 410.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Classics

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[Luisa Ripoll-Alberola · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style of this book makes it unsuitable for pleasure reading. The books I read for work obviously always take me a long time, because my job is not to read hahahah (I wish).

It's true that it gives more details than the historical/trivial ones, it quotes works a lot, it has almost an intertextual perspective of how texts were interwoven. My favourite chapters were the more abstract ones, the last three chapters, which talked about humour, power and religion respectively, how all those concepts were manifested in literature and how the Greeks/Romans understood them.

I think I will retain quite a lot after reading this book, at least it was useful to better locate authors and works apart from the most typical ones.

[max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent survey of Greek and Roman literature. Intelligently written and engaging, it covers the major works in their historical and political contexts, the importance of genre, and many issues that are connected with our understanding of these works as literature. This is a serious work that delves deeply into critical concerns around the various texts under consideration.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a Classical Literature class and I honestly enjoyed it.
It is not like other mandatory reads where my eyes fall closed after only a few pages. This was so interesting and enjoyable.

[Visa Kallio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Concise, maybe ; coherent, no. A jumbled account with no solid structure. Read Neil Croally and Roy Hyde´s Classical Literature: An Introduction if you want to acquaint yourself with the literature of Ancient times more easily.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Very interesting information and choice of material but the style of writing makes very hard to get through the text easily.