LITERATURE OF ANCIENCT GREECE learned by heart, and wherever a Greek settled, he

INTRODUCTION carried with him a love for Homer.

The Greeks are recognized as an exceptional people. ● The Iliad and the Odyssey depict the complete life
They are known in history as the “noble Greeks.” of man in action.
Because of their attainments in literature, sculpture, - Iliad shows us the passions and the cruelty found in
architecture, and philosophy, the term the glory that war, the Odyssey shows us great adventures. The Iliad
was Greece is particularly applicable to them. is a story of love and heroism. These are great epics,
GREEK LITERATURE studies of man and the life of man, and the way of life
The history of Greek literature is divided into three and ideals of a great civilization.
periods: - The theme of the Iliad and the Odyssey is the
1. Pre-Homeric Age and the Homeric Age affirmation of the truth that man’s fate is the result of
- extends from remote antiquity to the age of his actions.
Herodotus (484 B.C.). This period includes the
earliest poetry of Greece and the works of Homer.
2. Athenian Period to the Golden Age of Pericles
- extends from the Age of Herodotus to the death of
Alexander the Great (323 B.C.).
3. Decline Period
- extends from the death of Alexander the Great to the
enslavement of the Greeks by Rome and extends to
A.D. 1453.
QUALITIES:
1. Permanence and Universality
- Greek literature has an enduring quality. It has a
universality that is truly remarkable; it is read and
admired by all nations of the world.
2. Essentially Full of Artistry
- It is a product of a people who purposely and
conscientiously developed their physical and
intellectual powers. Greek art is the highest form of
classic art.
- The Greek mind became the foundation of the
literature of the Western world.
3. Originality
4. Diversity of Talent
- The Greek mind never rested complacently on any
one subject; it was ever searching, ever seeking. It
was fond of diversity of application.
5. Intellectual Quality
- means that the Greek mind challenges one to think
for some purpose---to bring about some inner
transformation.
THE EPICS OF HOMER
Homer
- The dominant figure of this early age. He was called
the blind poet of Greece. His country called him “the
Poet.”
- His two epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were