This volume contains the text of eight poems by the third-century BC Greek poet Theocritus, together with an introduction and extensive commentary. This is the first full-scale commentary on the work of Theocritus since Gow's edition of 1950, and is the first to exploit the recent revolution in the study of Hellenistic and Roman poetry. It offers new readings of all the poems, which show both how Theocritus differs from subsequent pastoral poetry, and how his poems, through their influence on Virgil, established the Western pastoral tradition.
Text of eight poems by the third-century BC Greek poet Theocritus with introduction and substantial commentary.
"Recommended for all libraries in institutions where there is a strong Greek program." James W. Halporn, Religious Studies Review
"An important and welcome contribution to the scholarship on Theocritus as well as on Hellenisti literature in general." Classical World