The Invention of Prose (New Surveys in the Classics) 1st edition by Goldhill, Simon (2002) Paperback

by Simon Goldhill

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.

Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Simon David Goldhil is Professor in Greek literature and culture and fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College, Cambridge. He was previously Director of Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge, succeeding Mary Jacobus in October 2011. He is best known for his work on Greek tragedy.
In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2010, he was appointed as the John Harvard Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge, a research position held concurrently with his chair in Greek.
In 2016, he became a fellow of the British Academy. He is a member of the Council of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Board of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, and is President of the European Institutes for Advanced Study (NetIAS).
Goldhill is a well-known lecturer and broadcaster and has appeared on television and radio in England, Australia, the United States and Canada. His books have been translated into ten languages, and he has been profiled by newspapers in Brazil, Australia and the Netherlands.

Reviews

[M. Altuğ Yayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antik Yunan dünyasında düzyazının/nesrin ortaya çıkışı bu kitabın temel odağı. Burada kilit nokta şiirin yanına yeni bir edebî tür eklenmesinden öte nesir ile gündelik hayatın meselelerini, siyaseti ve entelektüel arayışları doğrudan bir dille ortaya koyma imkanının doğması. Böylece antik yunan sınırları ve sınırlılıkları içinde demokrasi, felsefe ve araştırma daha da mümkün oluyor. Belki de bu sayede yani nesirle daha bir mümkün oluyor...
Diğer bir nokta ise kitabın o dönemki nesrin farklarına da işaret etmesi. tarih, retorik, felsefe ve tıp arasındaki farklara yani. Bu da önemliydi.
Elbette o dönem başka toplumlarda da nesre benzeyen biçimler vardı, fakat burada ortaya çıkanın farkını anlamak için bu kitabı okumak gerekiyor!

[Anthony O’Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is books a great little book if you’re interested in Ancient Greek history, or the history of language. I’m writing this in prose, something we take for granted but, like electricity and the wheel, it had to be invented. That’s what happened in the Greek Enlightenment, around the fifth century BCE. At that time, prose was considered inferior to poetry, reflected in the derogatory use of the word “prosaic”. But prose ushered in a profound shift in the way human beings experienced themselves, not dissimilar to the “psychological turn” of the 20th century, and the humanistic philosophy of the 17th century. Simon Goldhill is an erudite and entertaining author. He brings wide scholarship to this work. The book ranges over most of the Great Minds of Greek philosophy, and over many disciplines. In each case, whether Thuycidedes, Herodatus, Plato/Socrates, Longius, or Aristotle Goldman gives a brief overview of the relevant text, and explores its contribution to the emergence of prose, and its relationship to the development of democracy. He’s careful not to suggest that one doesn’t “cause” the other. But he does explain how they are related. At 116 pages this book (reprinted from 2002 as part of the Forgotten Books series) delivers great value. It is richly referenced with a refreshing minimum of footnotes. The writing is engaging and inflects the ancient texts with a modern perspective. You’ll want to read some of those classics again.